Washington Trust Donates 7 Tons of Peanut Butter to RI Food Bank

Bank Collects More Than 94 Tons of Peanut Butter Over 11-Year Period

Westerly, Rhode Island... This year marked the 11-year anniversary of Washington Trust's PB Xpress, a statewide drive to collect peanut butter for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. During the months of March and April, Washington Trust collected more than 14,056 pounds, or 7 tons of peanut butter. Since the program began in 2001, the Bank has collected nearly 94 tons of peanut butter, enough to make 3 million peanut butter sandwiches for hungry Rhode Island families.

"Washington Trust is grateful to the more than 100 businesses, organizations and schools that contributed to our peanut butter drive," said Joseph J. MarcAurele Washington Trust Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "As Rhode Island's largest independent bank, we are committed to helping our neighbors, especially during these difficult economic times. The peanut butter drive is one small way we can help Rhode Island families in need."

In addition to the peanut butter collection, the Bank held a "Donate the Difference Day" which encouraged Rhode Islanders to pack a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and donate what they would have spent on buying lunch, to the PB Xpress campaign. This single day effort raised more than $1,600 in online donations, which the Food Bank used to purchase jars of peanut butter wholesale. On April 1, 2011, Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chaffee and other Rhode Island business leaders shared peanut butter sandwiches at the Rhode Island State House to support the cause.

"This year's Washington Trust PB Xpress not only generated tons of highly nutritious peanut butter for local families in need, it also helped to spread awareness about the serious problem of hunger," said Andrew Schiff, Chief Executive Officer of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. Adding, "The addition of the "Donate the Difference" opportunity made it even easier for everyone to get involved in support of the campaign. Throughout the campaign, many businesses partnered with Washington Trust, including media partners Cox Communications and WEEI; and the Pawtucket Red Sox and Providence Bruins professional athletic organizations.

The Washington Trust Company is a subsidiary of Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc., a $2.9 billion corporation headquartered in Westerly, Rhode Island. Founded in 1800, Washington Trust is the oldest community bank in the nation and is the largest independent bank headquartered in Rhode Island. A state-chartered bank, Washington Trust offers a full range of financial services, including business banking, personal banking, and wealth management and trust services through its offices located in Rhode Island, Southeastern Connecticut and Massachusetts. The Corporation's common stock trades on The NASDAQ Global Select® Stock Market under the symbol WASH. Web site address: www.washtrust.com.