The UPS Store and Toys for Tots Deliver Holiday Happiness with the Help of Animated Comedy “Arthur Christmas”

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, The UPS Store ^® and Marine Toys for Tots Foundation announced they are teaming up with “Arthur Christmas,” an Aardman production for Sony Pictures Animation, to help deliver the gift of reading through a new book.

“‘Arthur Christmas’ brings to life the theme of Toys for Tots -- that every child deserves to experience the magic of the holidays”

Through Dec. 31, participating The UPS Storelocations will sell donation cards to benefit the Toys for Tots Literacy Program. Every dollar donated helps purchase books for less fortunate children in local communities throughout the U.S.

“‘Arthur Christmas’ brings to life the theme of Toys for Tots -- that every child deserves to experience the magic of the holidays,” said Stuart Mathis, president of MBE, franchisor of the nearly 4,400 The UPS Store domestic locations. “During the holidays, The UPS Store franchise network hopes to deliver this magic through the Toys for Tots Literacy Program. With the generosity of our customers, we have raised more than $1.7 million since 2008 to purchase books for less fortunate children nationwide.”

Characters from the 3-D, CGI-animated family comedy (in theaters Nov. 23) are incorporated into The UPS Store network’s Toys for Tots Literacy Program in-center donation campaign.

Additionally, through Dec. 31, customers can go to The UPS Store Facebook page to make a donation directly to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation and learn more about the Toys for Tots Literacy Program. Other online components of the holiday campaign include games on ArthurChristmas.com: a gift wrapping game that provides pack-and-ship tips by The UPS Store, and the S1 Flight Simulator that gives participants the chance to obtain bonus game time by checking in on foursquare at a participating The UPS Store location to receive a secret code. Customers can also receive 20 percent off holiday printing when they check in on foursquare at a participating The UPS Store location, for a limited time only.

The UPS Store locations will continue additional fundraising activities throughout the year, including a coin box program for customers to donate their spare change. One hundred percent of donations go to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, which will use the donations to purchase books for less fortunate children in the local community.

The Toys for Tots Literacy Program, a year-round initiative of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, provides the nation’s most economically disadvantaged children access to books with the goal of enhancing their ability to read and communicate effectively so they can compete academically and succeed in life.

“Our nation’s less fortunate children deserve the resources to learn and experience the joy of reading,” said LtGen. Pete Osman, USMC (Ret), president and CEO of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. “The Toys for Tots Literacy Program provides the gift of a book which can leave a lasting impact on a child even after the holidays are over.”

For more information on the Toys for Tots Literacy Program, please visit www.toysfortots.org/literacy. To find The UPS Store location nearest you, visit www.theupsstore.com.

The 3D, CG-animated family comedy Arthur Christmas, an Aardman production for Sony Pictures Animation, at last reveals the incredible, never-before-seen answer to every child's question: “So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?” The answer: Santa's exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole. But at the heart of the film is a story with the ingredients of a Christmas classic – a family in a state of comic dysfunction and an unlikely hero: Santa’s youngest son, Arthur. When this amazing operation misses one child out of hundreds of millions, Arthur, the least capable Claus, embarks on a hilarious, exciting rogue mission against the clock with his politically incorrect grandfather Grandsanta and a giftwrapping-obsessed elf named Bryony, to deliver the last present before Christmas morning dawns. The film is directed by Sarah Smith, written by Peter Baynham & Sarah Smith, and produced by Peter Lord, David Sproxton, Carla Shelley, and Steve Pegram.

The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is a not-for-profit organization authorized by the U.S. Marine Corps and the Department of Defense to provide fundraising and other necessary support for the annual Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. Now in its 64th year, Toys for Tots provides joy and a message of hope to less fortunate children through the gift of a new toy or book during the Christmas holiday season. Our gifts offer these children hope, recognition and a positive memory they will cherish for a lifetime. Many of the gifts we provide, such as books, games and sports equipment, make a significant contribution to the educational, social and recreational development of these children. In 2010, Marines distributed gifts to 7.2 million children in over 700 communities nationwide. The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation relies on individual donations from the American public as well as support from corporate sponsors. For more information, visit www.toysfortots.org.

With nearly 4,700 locations, The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. ^® network comprises the world’s largest franchise system of retail shipping, postal, print and business service centers throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada. In the U.S. and Puerto Rico, The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. locations are independently owned and operated by licensed franchisees of Mail Boxes Etc., Inc., a subsidiary of UPS (NYSE:UPS). In Canada, locations are independently owned and operated by licensed franchisees of master licensee MBEC Communications, L.P. For additional information on The UPS Store, including information on franchise opportunities for opening a The UPS Store location*, visit www.theupsstore.com.

*This is not an offer of a franchise. Any franchise offer is made only after a Franchise Disclosure Document has been provided.