PBS KIDS and Whole Foods Market Offer Parents a Better Back-To-School Season with the Launch of New School Supplies

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PBS KIDS AND WHOLE FOODS MARKET OFFER PARENTS A BETTER BACK-TO-SCHOOL SEASON WITH THE LAUNCH OF NEW SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Proceeds from school supplies like backpacks and notebooks to support children's learning, nutrition and healthy development

Arlington, Va., July 8, 2015 PBS KIDS and Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM) have teamed up to offer a new line of back-to-school products, available exclusively at Whole Foods Market stores this July and August. The two mission-driven brands announced today a broad offering of school supplies, from notebooks made from recycled paper to organic cotton backpacks and reusable lunch totes.

One-hundred percent of PBS KIDS' net proceeds from the line will support PBS KIDS educational programming, dedicated to helping all children succeed in school and in life, while Whole Foods Market will donate a percentage of total sales, up to $25,000, to Whole Kids Foundation , an organization dedicated to improving children's nutrition and wellness. In addition, for every Esperos backpack, pencil case and lunch tote purchased, Esperos will donate 10 percent of proceeds to help fund education for children in need through the Esperos Carry Hope initiative.

PBS KIDS and Whole Foods Market share a commitment to the healthy development of children and families, said Lesli Rotenberg, General Manager, Children's Media, PBS. Proceeds from the new PBS KIDS back-to-school line will help support PBS KIDS' mission: to open worlds of possibilities for all children through engaging media content.

In addition to Esperos' line of PBS KIDS organic cotton canvas items, Whole Foods Market will debut a line of PBS KIDS reusable food keepers from Lunchskins perfect for sandwiches, snacks or fruit. Lunchskins is committed to reducing the amount of plastic waste produced every year, as each one of the brand's reusable bags can replace 500 plastic bags. The grocer will also carry PBS KIDS notebooks and folders for school and play from Mudpuppy, which supports children's education throughout the year, including a multi-year partnership to support PBS KIDS, as well as other school programs.

Whole Foods Market's partnership with PBS KIDS continues to raise the bar for quality children's products and offers alternatives to what's commonly found in the marketplace, said Jeanne Tamayo, global lifestyle buyer at Whole Foods Market. By working with suppliers like Esperos, Lunchskins and Mudpuppy, kids can get school supplies that truly do more proceeds from every product support children's education through PBS KIDS and healthy-eating education through Whole Kids Foundation plus, each product is either reusable or made with recycled or organic materials.

To further prepare young children for back to school season, exclusive Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood content, including clips from the TV series, printable learning activities and family-friendly recipes, will be available for free at wholefoodsmarket.com.

For additional information on PBS KIDS back-to-school products at Whole Foods Market, please visit: http://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/press/whole-foods-market-and-pbs-kids-have-your-back-to-school-supplies.

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About PBS KIDS

PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for kids, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, digital platforms and community-based programs. Kidscreen- and Webby-award winning pbskids.org provides engaging interactive content, including digital games and streaming video. PBS KIDS also offers mobile apps to help support young children's learning. The PBS KIDS Video App is available on a variety of mobile devices and on platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xbox One and Chromecast. For more information on specific PBS KIDS content supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit pbs.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook

About Whole Foods Market

Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com, NASDAQ: WFM) is the leading natural and organic food retailer. As America's first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named America's Healthiest Grocery Store by Health magazine. The company's motto, Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet , captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to the company's more than 88,000 team members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America by FORTUNE magazine for 18 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2014, the company had sales of more than $14 billion and currently has more than 417 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. For more company news and information, please visit media.wfm.com.

Contacts

Lubna Abuulbah, PBS; 703.739.8463; labuulbah@pbs.org

Caitlin Melnick, PBS; 617.585.5755; cmelnick@360pr.com

Emily Wright, Whole Foods Market; 512.542.3725; Emily.wright@wholefoods.com

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LINK:	http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2015/pbskids-whole-foods/...
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