The Funny Farm

From: SearsMart**

Three days after Hurricane Katrina hit our country's northern Gulf Coast communities, we are learning that the devastation is far greater than anything we had expected. We know you share our concern for the thousands of people of the region who have been left homeless and stranded by the widespread hurricane damage and catastrophic flooding in New Orleans.

We've had our teams in the area, assessing the damage and figuring out how we can help, since Monday.

We're making sure everyone who works for us knows how to get to help (for themselves and others in critical situations) if they need it.

We've lost twenty-six stores in the area.

We're co-ordinating your internal efforts to help those you know who have been impacted.

We're trying to get as many stores as we can in the area open to help everyone else. We're getting relief supplies gathered, and will be distributing them in the near future (when we can make sure they get where they're needed).

As a company, we have put our forces to work to assist the thousands of people impacted by Hurricane Katrina:

- Sears Holdings Corporation will contribute a minimum of $500,000 in Sears, Kmart and Lands' End merchandise and cash to assist individuals and families in the devastated region.

- Beginning Saturday September 3, through the end of September, Sears and Kmart stores will be accepting donations from customers and associates*** for American Red Cross relief efforts. Sears will match up to $500,000 in customer contributions. Sears will run a commercial on this Sunday's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to encourage these customer contributions.

- Sears Auto Centers will provide free flat-tire repair for hurricane-impacted individuals, September 3-30.

- Sears and Kmart stores will honor American Red Cross vouchers in areas impacted by the storm.

- Sears, in its partnership with Citigroup, will extend grace periods and waive fees for its Sears Card and Sears Gold MasterCard customers in the hardest hit areas.

The cross-functional Sears Holdings crisis management team has done an excellent job of monitoring and coordinating all hurricane efforts from logistics and associate*** impacts to goods, services and communications. They will continue to keep us up-to-date, through intranet reports, on the status of our impacted stores and associates***.

Our thoughts and best wishes go out to our impacted associates***. We urge all associates*** to help contribute to our outreach efforts.