NEW YORK, Jan. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Soma
announces its next Giving is Beautiful™ Soma Bra Donation.
The nationwide charitable initiative to collect bras for women who
have been affected by domestic violence is said to be the largest
of its kind. With more than 885,000 bras collected to date,
the scale and scope of the project is a testament to the brand and
the Soma customer's dedication to making a difference in women's
lives. Now through February
4th, the company will accept both new and gently worn bras
at all Soma boutiques across the country as well as monetary
donations at the register and at www.soma.com.
"Our passion and commitment to this initiative has never been
stronger," states Laurie Van Brunt,
Soma president. "What started as a grass roots effort in a few
local boutiques has grown to become a brand-wide and nationwide
initiative spanning more than 281 Soma boutiques and outlets. Our
boutiques and customers enthusiastically contribute their time,
money and bras to help women in need restore their lives. It's our
ultimate goal that no woman has to choose between buying a bra and
putting food on the table."
To help raise awareness about domestic violence, Soma will once
again partner with the National Network to End Domestic Violence
(NNEDV). The NNEDV is the leading voice for survivors of domestic
violence. Representing over 2,000 shelter programs across 56 state
and territory coalitions throughout the
United States, the NNEDV continues to be a vital partner to
help spread the word and make a difference in women's lives.
The Giving is Beautiful Soma Bra Donation initiative is national
in scope but local in nature — directly impacting communities where
the bras are donated. Each of Soma's 281 boutiques and outlets will
work with its community's women's shelter to help local women in
need. First launched in July 2010,
this marks the tenth biannual Soma Bra Donation initiative. To
date, Soma has collected more than 885,000 bras to help provide for
the more than 1.3 million victims who stay in domestic violence
shelters each year.
"Soma is partnering their boutiques with local domestic violence
shelters to make a real difference in the lives of domestic
violence victims, who often arrive at a shelter with nothing," says
Kim Gandy, President and CEO of the
National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV). "New and
nearly new bras are less frequently donated than other clothing
items, so shelters are especially grateful to receive new bras for
the women who seek safety there. Through this essential
campaign, Soma is helping to raise awareness in local communities,
raise critically needed funds, and help victims rebuild their
lives."
"Thanks to our partnership with the National Network to End
Domestic Violence, new and gently worn bras are distributed to
domestic violence shelters in our customers' local communities. Our
goal is to reach a million bras collected, because that translates
to a million women feeling confident and beautiful, from the inside
out," says Van Brunt. "And every
woman deserves to feel that way."
To help reach the brand's goal of one million bras collected,
Soma will continue to utilize a unique, shareable hashtag,
#OneMillionBras in their marketing and social platforms during the
donation time period, and are asking customers across the country
to help spread the word about this worthy cause by tagging
@SomaIntimates. The brand will also have a donation landing page,
www.soma.com/givebras allowing visitors to read a number of
touching stories about how our 885,000 donated bras have changed
women's lives across the country, plus offer information about the
NNEDV, how to donate bras, and where to find Soma boutiques
nationwide.
About Soma:
Soma, a division of Chico's FAS, Inc. (NYSE: CHS), offers beautiful
and sensual lingerie, loungewear and beauty products. Home of the
warmest personal service, Soma embraces women with luxuriously soft
fabrics, innovative fashion and an always perfect fit in bra sizes
32A-44G. As of January
8th, Soma will operate 281 boutiques and outlets
across the country as well as a website at www.soma.com.
About NNEDV:
NNEDV, a nonprofit charitable
organization, is the leading voice for domestic violence victims
and their advocates. NNEDV members include all 56 of the
state and territorial coalitions against domestic violence, which
have over 2,000 local programs. NNEDV has been a premiere national
organization advancing the movement against domestic violence for
over 20 years, having led efforts to pass the landmark Violence
Against Women Act of 1994 and to reauthorize and strengthen
countless laws and regulations to increase safety and end violence.
To learn more about NNEDV, please visit www.nnedv.org.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150108/167817LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/soma-builds-domestic-violence-awareness-with-bi-annual-giving-is-beautiful-soma-bra-donation-300017998.html
SOURCE Soma