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[May 07, 2010]

The Popcorn Factory® Reaches out to Fight Hunger

The Popcorn Factory®, a maker of premium gourmet popcorn and a subsidiary of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, has been partnering with the Northern Illinois Food Bank (NIFB) for several years to assist in the battle against hunger. Four to five times each year, The Popcorn Factory donates an average of 13,000 pounds of food items to NIFB. The donations are distributed to more than 500 food-assistance sites in 13 counties.

Among the items donated are various flavors of popcorn as well as maple syrup, cookies, brownie mix, biscuit and pancake mixes, salad dressings and fudge sauces. Also donated are popcorn and other food items that are used to make gift baskets for 1-800-Baskets.com®, another 1-800-FLOWERS.COM brand.

"The Popcorn Factory and all 1-800-FLOWERS.COM brands are committed to serving their communities and giving back in as many ways as they can," said Jim McCann, Founder and CEO of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM. "We are proud to be part of the efforts of the Northern Illinois Food Bank, helping to support their mission of providing food to those affected by hunger throughout the northern Illinois region."

The Northern Illinois Food Bank and Feeding America^TM, a national anti-hunger advocacy organization, reported in a 2010 Hunger Study that NIFB provides food for an estimated 502,400 people annually, an increase of 168% from 2006. Approximately 61,600 people receive assistance in any given week, an increase of 65% from 2006. Furthermore, 48% of the members of households served by NIFB are children under 18 years of age. Fifty-four percent of people served by NIFB report having to choose between paying for food and paying for utilities or heating fuel, while 44% had to make a choice between paying for food and paying for medicine or medical care. For more information about the Northern Illinois Food Bank and to make arrangements for food donations, visit www.northernilfoodbank.org or call 630-443-6910.

About The Popcorn Factory

For more than 30 years, The Popcorn Factory has been the "popcorn authority," providing an impressive collection of crowd-pleasing gifts and great-tasting snacks. Since 1979, the Company has been delighting its customers with gourmet popcorn, pretzels, cookies and chocolate marshmallow hearts in exclusively designed collectible tins that can be personalized as well as baskets and towers. Customers can choose from many flavors such as butter, cheddar, chocolate-caramel and jalapeno along with chef-inspired collectins. Starting with the finest corn grown domestically in the United States, each kernel is transformed into premium popcorn using 100% corn oil and infusions of the tastiest flavors. Headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois and part of the 1-800-FLOWERS.COM family of brands, The Popcorn Factory pops over 1 million pounds of popcorn per year. All popcorn is Kosher OUD.

About 1-800-FLOWERS.COM

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. is the world's leading florist and gift shop. For more than 30 years, 1-800-FLOWERS(R) (1-800-356-9377 or www.1800flowers.com) has been providing customers with fresh flowers and the finest selection of plants, gift baskets, gourmet foods, confections, balloons and plush stuffed animals perfect for every occasion. As always, 100% satisfaction is guaranteed. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM has earned the 2009 Gold Award in the Online Flower Delivery category from TopTenREVIEWS; was listed as a TOP TEN MOBILE RETAILER by Internet Retailer magazine in 2009; and was recognized by Computerworld magazine as a Premier 100 IT Leader for 2010. The Company's BloomNet(R) international floral wire service (www.mybloomnet.net) provides a broad range of quality products and value-added services designed to help professional florists grow their businesses profitably. The 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. "Gift Shop" also includes gourmet gifts such as popcorn and specialty treats from The Popcorn Factory(R) (1-800-541-2676 or www.thepopcornfactory.com); cookies and baked gifts from Cheryl&Co.(R) (1-800-443-8124 or www.cherylandco.com); premium chocolates and confections from Fannie May(R) confections brands (www.fanniemay.com and www.harrylondon.com); wine gifts from Ambrosia(R) (www.ambrosia.com) and Geerlings&Wade(SM) (www.geerwade.com); and gift baskets from 1-800-BASKETS.COM(R) (www.1800baskets.com) as well as Celebrations(R) (www.celebrations.com), a premier online destination for fabulous party ideas and planning tips. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. is involved in a broad range of corporate social responsibility initiatives, including continuous expansion and enhancement of its environmentally-friendly "green" programs, various philanthropic and charitable efforts and special private-sector skills training programs for military veterans. Shares in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. are traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, ticker symbol: FLWS.

About Northern Illinois Food Bank

Northern Illinois Food Bank, a non-profit, 501(c)(3) charity organization and a member of Feeding America (formerly America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network), was founded in May 1983 in Wheaton, Illinois and distributed 7,000 pounds of food in its first month. NIFB has grown tremendously in the past 27 years - distributing more than 27.2 million pounds of food in 2009 and currently serving over 520 food-assistance sites in 13 northern Illinois counties. Northern Illinois Food Bank is the link between national food manufacturers and local agencies that serve the hungry directly. NIFB acquires, gathers, handles, and distributes food to hungry people throughout Boone, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Will, and Winnebago Counties.

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