Rite Aid Foundation’s KidCents Program Donates $2 Million to The Fred Rogers Company

New Funding to Support Production of Award-Winning Daniel Tiger’s
Neighborhood on PBS KIDS

CAMP HILL, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Rite Aid Foundation’s KidCents program announced today a $2 million
donation to The
Fred Rogers Company, a non-profit company that specializes in
creating quality children’s programming for public television. The
donation will be used to support production of Daniel
Tiger’s Neighborhood, the Emmy-nominated hit children’s series
that airs daily on PBS KIDS.

In recognition of the donation, Rite Aid CEO of stores and President of
Rite Aid Corporation Ken Martindale, who also serves as president of The
Rite Aid Foundation, and The Fred Rogers Company President William
Isler, will host a press conference at the Heinz History Center today at
10:30 a.m. Martindale and Isler will be joined by the star of Daniel
Tiger’s Neighborhood, Daniel Tiger.

“The mission of The Fred Rogers Company perfectly aligns with The Rite
Aid Foundation’s goal of supporting the health and wellbeing of children
in the ‘neighborhoods’ we serve,” said Martindale. “A beloved part of
households nationwide, every day, Daniel Tiger and his friends are
teaching young viewers important life lessons and social skills, helping
them grow and learn. The Rite Aid Foundation is proud to partner with
The Fred Rogers Company and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and join
them in their efforts to promote positive childhood development in the
most formative years.”

“We are so grateful to The Rite Aid Foundation for its invaluable
support, which will allow us to continue to positively reach and connect
with millions of young children and their families throughout the U.S.,”
said Isler. “Just as The Rite Aid Foundation’s KidCents program serves
communities from coast-to-coast, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is a
close and trusted friend to preschoolers and their moms, dads, and
caregivers in communities nationwide, and we look forward to serving
many more families in the years to come with the help of this generous
donation.”

As part of the partnership, a special Rite Aid Foundation underwriting
spot will air before and after every episode of Daniel Tiger’s
Neighborhood, beginning next month. Underwriting credits will also
be included on digital platforms, building awareness about The Rite Aid
Foundation’s KidCents program among fans of the series.

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood follows the adventures of 4-year-old
Daniel Tiger and uses musical strategies grounded in Fred Rogers’
landmark social-emotional curriculum. Through imagination, creativity,
and music, Daniel and his friends learn the key social skills necessary
for success in school and in life. The popular animated series was
created by some of today’s preeminent innovators of quality children’s
media. Creator Angela Santomero, from lead production partner Out of the
Blue Enterprises, is co-executive producer, along with Kevin Morrison of
The Fred Rogers Company and Vince Commisso of the award-winning
animation studio, 9 Story Entertainment.

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood has garnered a host of
prestigious awards, and most recently was nominated for a 2015 Daytime
Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Preschool Animated Program. This
recognition follows a string of additional honors, including a 2015
Parents’ Choice Gold Award and 2014 Prix Jeunesse International
Selection as well as the 2013 Kidscreen Award for Best Animated Series
in the Preschool Category, and 2013 Cynopsis: Kids! Imagination Award
for Preschool Series.

KidCents was developed by The Rite Aid Foundation to provide Rite Aid
customers an opportunity to do even more to help the kids in the
communities Rite Aid serves. Through KidCents, members of Rite Aid’s wellness+
with Plenti program can round up their in-store or online purchases
to the nearest dollar and give their change to one of more than 300
nonprofit organizations focused on improving the health and wellbeing of
children. Since its inception in 2001, The Rite Aid Foundation has
awarded nearly $21 million to non-profit organizations. Additionally,
Rite Aid, through the efforts of its customers, supplier partners and
associates, has also raised more than $75 million for Children’s Miracle
Network Hospitals across the country since 1994.

Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) is one of the nation’s leading
drugstore chains with nearly 4,600 stores in 31 states and the District
of Columbia and fiscal 2015 annual revenues of $26.5 billion.
Information about Rite Aid, including corporate background and press
releases, is available through the company’s website at www.riteaid.com.

The Fred Rogers Company was founded by Fred Rogers in 1971 as the
non-profit producer of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood for PBS. In the years
that followed, it not only created hundreds of episodes of this
much-loved program, but also extended Fred’s values and approach to
other efforts in promoting children’s social, emotional and behavioral
health and supporting parents, caregivers, teachers and other
professionals in their work with children. The Fred Rogers Company
continues to build on Fred’s legacy in innovative ways through a wide
variety of media, and engaging new generations of children and families
with his timeless wisdom. The company’s highly rated, award-winning
children’s series include Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Peg +
Cat and Odd Squad. For more information, visit www.fredrogers.org.

Contacts

Rite Aid
Ashley Flower
717-612-0136
aflower@riteaid.com
or
The
Fred Rogers Company
Alison Grand, Grand Communications
212-584-1133
alison@grandcommunications.com