FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACTS: Brenda D. Farrell, Corporate Communications Manager, The Washington Trust Company, 401-348-1363
Or Rosie Connors, Director of Development & Communications, Rhode Island Food Bank, 401-942-6325 x252
DATE: March 1, 2004

Washington Trust's 'PB Xpress' to Collect Tons of Peanut Butter For Rhode Island Community Food Bank

Community Invited to Bring Donations to all Washington Trust Branches, March 1 - 31

Westerly, Rhode Island... The Washington Trust Company announces the start of its 4th annual "PB Xpress," a bank-wide drive to collect jars of peanut butter for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and other local food pantries. The drive to collect 4 tons of peanut butter begins today and continues through Wednesday, March 31, 2004.

Customers and members of the community are invited to stop by any of Washington Trust's 16 branches and donate a jar of peanut butter to help local families in need. "At this time of year, food banks have a more difficult time getting donations from the public to keep their shelves stocked," said John C. Warren, Chairman and CEO of The Washington Trust Company. "Washington Trust launched the PB Xpress three years ago as a way to provide nutritious food for local families with children to feed."

Bernie Beaudreau, Executive Director of The Rhode Island Community Food Bank, added that peanut butter is one of the Food Bank's most in-demand items. "Peanut butter is a staple in our food baskets, because kids love it and it's a great source of protein. Unfortunately, peanut butter is also very expensive," he said.

On Saturday, March 27, radio station 92 PRO-FM will promote the PB Xpress with a live remote broadcast from the Bank's Cranston branch featuring the station's top-rated morning team, "Giovanni & Kim!" Customers and others who stop by to donate peanut butter on that day can enter to win prizes supplied by 92 PRO-FM and the Roger Williams Park Zoo.

The Roger Williams Park Zoo will host a PB Xpress day on Sunday, March 28, 2004. On that day, the zoo will take $1.00 off the admission price for every visitor who brings a jar of peanut butter.

Inquiries regarding the "PB Xpress," including how your school or civic group can participate, may be directed to Brenda D. Farrell, Corporate Communications Manager for The Washington Trust Company at (401) 348-1363.

The Washington Trust Company, a state-chartered bank founded in 1800, offers a full range of financial services, including trust and investment management, through its branch offices in southern Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut. The Bank is a subsidiary of Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc. whose common stock trades on The Nasdaq Stock Market® under the symbol WASH. Web site address: www.washtrust.com.

The Rhode Island Community Food Bank is a non-profit organization located in Providence, RI. The Food Bank solicits, stores, and distributes food products donated by supermarkets, wholesalers, food processors, local farmers, and community food drives. The food is then redistributed to the Food Bank's network of approximately 475 member agency programs. In the past fiscal year ending June 30, the Food Bank distributed a record 7 million pounds of food, while serving an average of 51,000 people each month. For more information about the Food Bank, please visit www.rifoodbank.org.

Washington Trust locations for "PB Xpress" collections
Bank customers and the public are invited to drop off jars of peanut butter at any of the following Washington Trust branches:

Rhode Island:

Block Island: Ocean Avenue
Charlestown: 4137 Old Post Road.
Cranston: 645 Reservoir Avenue (corner of Park and Reservoir)
Narragansett: 885 Boston Neck Road (Bonnet Shores) and 20 Point Judith Road (near Salt Pond Shopping Center)
North Kingstown: 7625 Post Road
Providence: 180 Washington Street (downtown)
Richmond: 1200 Main Street
South Kingstown: 730 Kingstown Road (Wakefield)
Warwick: 236 Centerville Road (Route 117)
Westerly: 23 Broad Street (Main Office), 126 Franklin Street, and 106 Main Street (McQuade's Marketplace)

Connecticut: