SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct 14, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Thousands of shoppers took steps in the right direction this fall to help children in need by donating more than 17,600 pairs of new shoes to The Macerich Company's (NYSE: MAC) annual Shoes For Orphan Souls shoe drive benefiting Buckner Orphan Care International. In addition to shoes, shoppers donated more than 3,200 pairs of socks and shoelaces, and thousands of dollars in monetary funds to the program this year.
For the sixth year, The Macerich Company designated shopping centers across the nation as official shoe drop-off sites for the drive. At least 50 percent of all shoes collected at each Macerich center will stay locally, benefiting non-profit organizations in each community Macerich serves.
"We are so proud to have had another successful year of collecting shoes for Shoes For Orphan Souls and meeting the needs of thousands of children," said Susan Valentine, SCMD, senior vice president of marketing for The Macerich Company. "Our communities look forward to the drive each year and we thank them for their generous support and commitment to the cause."
Since 1999, Macerich has supported the efforts of Buckner, helping the organization to distribute more than 1 million pairs of shoes through the program. The company will again send truckloads of shoes to the Dallas-based organization to be processed and shipped to children in more than 30 countries globally.
Shaun Hawkins, director of Shoes For Orphan Souls for Buckner says that "each pair of donated shoes will meet more than just a physical need to the child who receives them, more importantly the donations will remind the child that someone cares and that they are not forgotten." Added Hawkins, "With the help of Macerich, Buckner hopes to provide even more shoes to children in 2005."
Shoes For Orphan Souls is part of Dallas-based Buckner Orphan Care International. Buckner is one of the largest private social-care organizations in the nation, serving approximately 80,000 people each year. Founded in 1879, Buckner is a vastly diversified organization dedicated to the restoration, care and healing of children, families and senior adults. Buckner seeks to provide care without regard to race, religion, economic status or social circumstance. Additional information about the drive and volunteering locally or internationally is available at http://www.ShoesForOrphanSouls.org .
The Macerich Company is a fully integrated self-managed and self- administered real estate investment trust, which focuses on the acquisition, leasing, management, development and redevelopment of regional malls throughout the United States. The Company is the sole general partner and owns an 81% ownership interest in The Macerich Partnership, L.P. Macerich now owns interests in properties totaling approximately 61 million square feet consisting primarily of interests in 62 regional malls. Additional information about The Macerich Company can be obtained from the Company's website at http://www.macerich.com .
SOURCE The Macerich Company
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