12.19.2000 ET

(CSRwire) Mattresses from Marriott's Tysons Corner hotel and home furnishings from ExecuStay by Marriott apartments will be donated today to shelters and missions in the Washington, D.C., area. As part of its “Spirit To Serve Our Communities” program, Marriott will deliver a truckload of approximately $18,000 in home furnishings, mattresses and other “wish-list” items to three local organizations: Gospel Rescue Ministries of Washington, D.C., and Helping Hands and Stepping Stones shelters in Montgomery County.

The day also marked the launch of the company’s program to donate approximately 100,000 mattresses throughout the U.S. over the next three years. Marriott is working with Gifts In Kind International, a nonprofit clearinghouse, to coordinate the distribution of the mattresses.

“Our company has strong roots in Washington, and we believe in giving back to the community,” said J.W. Marriott, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott International. “Our year-round ‘Spirit To Serve Our Communities’ effort is a great source of pride, and we hope the contributions from ExecuStay and our hotels will prove especially welcome during the holiday season.”

“The people in Montgomery County and district shelters will enjoy a happier holiday season this year thanks to Marriott’s generosity,” said John Jackson, executive director of the Gospel Rescue Ministries of Washington, D.C. “This donation of mattresses and household items is critical to improving our shelter and easing the transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency.”

ExecuStay by Marriott, the corporate housing services business that leases furnished apartments to business travelers, is working with companies, such as Brook Furniture Rental Company of Chicago, today to facilitate ExecuStay’s total donation of $150,000 in home furnishings to shelters and missions throughout the country. Donations will be made in Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Hartford, Conn.; Houston; Los Angeles; Miami/Ft. Lauderdale; New York; Orlando, Fla.; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Sacramento, Calif.; San Antonio; San Francisco and Seattle.

Products being donated by ExecuStay nationally include 6,300 bed and bath items (blankets, comforters, shower curtains, bathroom rugs, sets of sheets and towels); 12,000 kitchen products (sets of dishes, flatware, carving knives, glassware, napkins, pots, pans and small appliances); 400 electric/electronic devices (televisions, VCRs, telephones, answering machines, vacuum cleaners and irons); decorative accessories (floral arrangements and wall pictures) and clothing.

Any nonprofit agency in need of mattresses or household furnishings for their facility or people in need should contact Gifts In Kind International through their web site, www.giftsinkind.org, by sending a fax to (703) 549-1481, or by calling (703) 836-2121.

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