Walmart, Sam’s Club and the Walmart Foundation announced that they have donated $175,000 for the victims of the recent tornado outbreak that impacted Rowlett and Garland.
The Walmart Foundation is donating $75,000 in cash to DFW area relief organizations including $50,000 to the Red Cross of North Texas and $25,000 to the Salvation Army DFW. In addition, Dallas area Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs have been supporting the relief efforts since the night of the tornado by making in-kind donations totaling approximately $100,000 for life-saving and life-sustaining supplies including food, bottled water, blankets, baby supplies and personal hygiene items. Some of these donated include:
- More than 100,000 bottles of water to the Red Cross and city of Rowlett
- More than $15,000 in shelter supplies
- More than 29,000 private label items to the North Texas Food Bank and the Red Cross from Store 7240 in Rowlett
- Pallets of food to support feeding of relief workers
“Walmart stands ready to help when natural disasters strike. We see this as an opportunity to use our strengths to help others, especially when they need us most,” said Mike Hart, Walmart Market manager. “After seeing firsthand the devastation from this tornado and the impact on our community, we knew we had to help our neighbors here in Rowlett and Garland rebuild.”
The December 26 storm also heavily damaged Walmart store 7240 in Rowlett, a Neighborhood Market located at 8800 Lakeview Parkway.
“We’re deeply concerned by the devastation we’ve seen and our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been injured or lost family members in the tornadoes,” said Jeff Thompson, market manager for Sam’s Club. “We are fortunate to work for a company which empowers us to give back to our communities when they need us the most.”
Walmart, Sam’s Club and the Walmart Foundation are committed to building strong communities and being a leader in disaster relief and resiliency. In May 2015, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation donated $500,000 to support Texas and Oklahoma flood relief efforts. Also in 2015 for the observance of the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation<http://foundation.walmart.com/> announced a $25 million commitment for more than five years to support organizations in disaster recovery and resiliency efforts worldwide.
About Philanthropy at Walmart: By using our strengths to help others, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation create opportunities for people to live better every day. We have stores in 28 countries, employing more than 2.2 million associates and doing business with thousands of suppliers who, in turn, employ millions of people. We are helping people live better by accelerating upward job mobility and economic development for the retail workforce; addressing hunger and making healthier, more sustainably-grown food a reality; and building strong communities where we operate and inspiring our associates to give back.
Whether it is helping to lead the fight against hunger in the United States with $2 billion in cash and in-kind donations or supporting Women’s Economic Empowerment through a series of grants totaling $10 million to the Women in Factories training program in Bangladesh, China, India and Central America, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are not only working to tackle key social issues, we are also collaborating with others to inspire solutions for long-lasting systemic change. http://www.foundation.walmart.com.