Exton Square Mall and Chester County Food Bank Team Up To Feed Local Children

Residents and shoppers are encouraged to participate in the Food Backpack Program by donating backpacks to fill with food for area youth

EXTON, P.A. – July 19, 2013 – It’s that time of year when parents and children gear up for Back-to-School. Unfortunately, while many families spend this time purchasing new supplies and clothes, there are 13,500 Chester County school age children struggling with hunger. To help ease the worries of local families, Exton Square Mall is collecting backpacks for Chester County Food Bank to fill with food through its Backpack Program. Through the program, 1,000 children at 14 local schools are given a backpack with non-perishable foods every Friday during the school year.

Shoppers are encouraged to drop off backpacks at Exton Square Mall Customer Service or at the Kids’ Court from July 26 through September 19. Chester County Food Bank will then fill the bags with non-perishable foods for area children in need.

The Chester County Food Bank is a non-profit organization with the mission to feed Chester County households that do not have enough food. It distributes more than 1.8 million pounds of food per year to more than 90 food cupboards and meal sites. For more information, visit www.chestercountyfoodbank.org.    

Exton Square Mall is owned, managed, and leased by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, founded in 1960 and one of the first equity REITs in the U.S., having a primary investment focus on retail shopping malls. Currently, the Company’s portfolio of 46 properties comprises 36 shopping malls, seven community and power centers, and three development properties. The Company’s properties are located in 13 states in the eastern half of the United States, primarily in the Mid-Atlantic region. The operating retail properties have approximately 31 million total square feet of space. PREIT, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol PEI. The Company’s website can be found at www.preit.com.