Through its Random Acts of Caring initiative, Rent-A-Center will show up in communities around the state and donate needed merchandise.

Mike Kilbane, Rent-A-Center senior vice president in Ohio.

Through its Random Acts of Caring initiative, Rent-A-Center will show up in communities around the state and donate needed merchandise – from appliances to home furnishings to electronics to computers – to organizations that make a difference in people's lives.

Rent-A-Center (NASDAQ:RCII) launched a new community initiative entitled Random Acts of Caring in Ohio today with a merchandise donation to A Friend's House, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting victims of domestic violence while increasing public awareness of the issue.

The brand new merchandise includes:

--Matching electric Whirlpool washer and dryer
--Welton bedroom set with headboard, dresser, mirror, chest and nightstand
--Sony 46" 1080p LCD flat panel HDTV with Welton stand
--Dell Inspiron AMD Athlon desktop computer
--Dell Inspiron Pentium Dual-Core laptop computer

"The staff and clients of A Friend's House appreciate the generosity of the Rent-A-Center team, said Sue Ellen Hughes, executive director. "This donation of appliances, furniture and computers that will be used in the shelter allows us to use money raised through donations and fundraisers for programming needs."

The new Random Acts of Caring initiative is designed to help meet important community needs that pop up around the state.

"Companies, ours included, are tending to focus on one or two specific areas of giving so those dollars can be more impactful," said Mike Kilbane, Rent-A-Center senior vice president in Ohio. "Unfortunately, an unintended consequence can be a reduced pool of support to which worthy causes can turn for help. That means some outstanding organizations can find themselves with multiple needs but limited resources."

"We help customers in that very same situation every day so we wanted to find a way to steer a portion of our charitable giving toward filling these voids," Kilbane continued. "Through Random Acts of Caring, we are able to help where help is needed when it's needed. That's what we're all about."

State Representative Chris Widener (R-84) expressed his appreciation for Rent-A-Center's support of A Friend's House.

"We appreciate our local businesses supporting worthy causes like A Friend's House," said State Representative Chris Widener (R-84), who represents London. Widener announced a run for the Ohio Senate in January and was recently endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Business (see story).

Through its Random Acts of Caring initiative, Rent-A-Center will show up in communities around the state and donate needed merchandise – from appliances to home furnishings to electronics to computers – to organizations that make a difference in people's lives. The company is committed to at least one Random Act of Caring each month. Where, when and how will remain a mystery until the day of the donation, according to Kilbane.

"It's called Random Acts of Caring for a reason," he said. "You'll just never know when we'll arrive to make some organization an even stronger component of the community."

Community causes will be chosen at random. There is no application process and donation requests will not be accepted. Company representatives will simply keep their eyes and ears open to find worthy causes.

"This is an impactful way to say thank you to the many communities where we serve residential and business customers," said Mark Speese, Rent-A-Center's chairman and chief executive officer. "And for our coworkers who understand and champion the importance of a mutually beneficial relationship with these very same communities, this is a great opportunity to walk the talk."

Beyond Random Acts of Caring, Rent-A-Center will also continue its annual nationwide financial support of America's Second Harvest, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Clubs and Junior Achievement. The company also has an annual program that awards $50,000 in scholarships for customers and coworkers.

In Ohio, Rent-A-Center operates 186 rent-to-own stores including the one in London. Cash AdvantEdge, the company's financial services business, operates 54 locations in the state. Rent-A-Center also operates a national product service center in Cincinnati, where a team of specially trained technicians services merchandise on rent.

Rent-A-Center operates more than 3,000 stores in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada and employs over 21,600 people.