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HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Sept. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite U.S. troop drawdowns in Iraq and Afghanistan, thousands of military members will remain deployed this holiday season, unable to join their families. To make the holiday season easier for those who serve our country, Sears has announced the launch of its fifth annual Heroes at Home Wish Registry program. The Wish Registry allows Americans to give back to the men and women who serve our country by providing the means for them to purchase practical gifts such as , Ìý²¹²Ô»å .

Starting today through Nov. 16, donations to the Heroes at Home Wish Registry will be accepted in-store or online at . Sears evenly distributes 100 percent of donations back to military families across the country in the form of a Sears e-gift card, just in time for the holiday shopping season. Sears has raised more than $17 million and helped more than 83,000 families since the Wish Registry launched five years ago. Donations are not tax deductible.

"Given the sacrifices our country's military families make on a daily basis, we're proud to offer a way for Americans to help our heroes and show their appreciation," said Ron Boire, Sears Holdings' executive vice president, chief merchandising officer and president, Sears and Kmart formats. "Every year we're humbled to hear from hundreds of thankful soldiers and military spouses who have benefited from the Heroes at Home Wish Registry. It's special to know that through the generosity of Sears customers and associates, we've made their holiday season a little brighter."

Among the outpouring of comments on the Sears Facebook page after last year's gift cards were distributed include these from military spouses:

• "'I'm an army wife on the way back home to our duty station from being on leave. My husband deploys shortly after we get back and seeing that we got the gift card made my day. Our boys will have a great Christmas even though Daddy won't be there. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. It is giving me a chance to make Christmas as amazing as I possibly can." – Sonja, El Paso, Texas.
• "Thank you so much Sears for continuing with this program each year, and to everyone who donated to make our services members' holiday a little extra special! Our family is so thankful... it's a bonus gift for our boys beyond their big gift of Daddy coming home from his deployment safe and sound." – Veronica, Junction City, KS
• "Thank you for your support to all military...soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. We all appreciate it. This Marine family will be using the gift card to help out a fellow Navy family who suffered a loss. Thank you." – Mallisa, Oceanside, Calif.

To help raise awareness for the in-store donation program, Sears will additionally be surprising select military families across the country this fall with a special surprise visit at which they will be gifted some of the season's hottest holiday items from Sears.

In addition to the Wish Registry, which benefits active-duty soldiers, Sears helps veterans throughout the year through its program with Rebuilding Together, which provides home modification and repairs for disabled veterans. Sears has also been recognized as one of the country's leading military employers, currently employing more than 30,000 veterans, and leading recruitment programs to place them in jobs within the organization as well as accommodations for their spouses who have relocated to be closer to them. The company also offers a military pay differential to its full-time associates who are reservists and serving on active duty, allowing each to continue participating in life insurance, medical and dental programs. Sears will hold a comparable position for deployed employees for up to five years.

For more information about the Heroes at Home and the Sears Wish Registry, including full terms and conditions, please visit .

About Sears, Roebuck and Co.

, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing merchandise and related services and is part of , a social shopping experience where members have the ability to earn points and receive benefits across a wide variety of physical and digital formats through ShopYourWay.com.  Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,000 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, which includes over 810 Full-line and more than 1,270 specialty stores in the U.S.   Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears, Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End -- among the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S.  The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 11 million service calls made annually. For more information, visit the Sears, Roebuck website at or the Sears Holdings Corporation website at .

SOURCE Sears, Roebuck and Co.