Press Release

"WEAR YOUR HEART ON YOUR SLEEVE" THIS VALENTINE'S DAY AT GAP

Gap Creates Limited Edition T-Shirt to Benefit American Red Cross

SAN FRANCISCO − January 23, 2006 – Looking for a special Valentine’s Day Gift for that special someone? How about getting her a gift that gives back by benefiting someone else? Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Gap introduces the “Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve” T-shirt, an exclusive, limited edition T-shirt that benefits the American Red Cross.  Seventy three percent of the retail price from the purchase of the T-shirt (one hundred percent of the proceeds) will be donated to support the Red Cross mission to help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

“More than 1,300 Gap Inc. employees were affected by recent hurricanes, so helping people respond to emergencies is a cause that is particularly near and dear to our heart,” said Gap President Cynthia Harriss. “We created this unique T-shirt as a way for our customers to contribute to the mission of the American Red Cross and help provide support to disaster victims.” 

The “Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve” T-shirt features a red patchwork heart graphic sewn onto the sleeve of a women’s white favorite T, one of Gap’s most popular T-shirt styles. Around the inside collar of the T-shirt is a message reading “Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve”. The T-shirt is available for $19.50 at select Gap stores throughout the country beginning February 6. 

"We thank Gap for their generosity and support," said Kathleen Loehr, interim Senior Vice President of Development at the American Red Cross. "Gap's creative approach to the development of this special T-shirt to raise funds will help ensure that the Red Cross can help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies." 

In addition to the money raised by sales of the “Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve” T-shirt (a minimum commitment of $70,000), Gap Inc. has donated more than $5 million in clothing, donations and employee volunteer hours to hurricane disaster relief. This includes a double-match for all employee donations to the American Red Cross following Hurricane Katrina. Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and outlet stores also provided a 15% discount to customers from Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas through October 31, 2005. 

About Gap
Since its founding in 1969, Gap has provided its customers with clothing and accessories that enhance personal style. What began as one brand has grown to include Gap, GapKids, babyGap, GapBody and GapMaternity. Customers in the United States can also shop online at gap.com. By providing great style, value and service, Gap has become one of the world’s most recognized brands, with stores in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and France.

About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross is where people mobilize to help their neighbors − across the street, across the country, and across the world − in emergencies. Each year, in communities large and small, victims of some 70,000 disasters turn to neighbors familiar and new − the nearly one million volunteers and 35,000 employees of the Red Cross. Through almost 900 locally supported chapters, more than 15 million people gain the skills they need to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their homes, communities and world. Some four million people give blood − the gift of life − through the Red Cross, making it the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. And the Red Cross helps thousands of U.S. service members separated from their families by military duty stay connected. As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, a global network of 181 national societies, the Red Cross helps restore hope and dignity to the world's most vulnerable people. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.