Wal-Mart and its foundation commit $25 million to disaster relief
by August 24, 2015 10:54 am 111 views
Reflecting on the 10 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, Wal-Mart and its foundation committed $25 million over five years to support disaster recovery and resilience efforts worldwide. As part of the commitment, the Walmart Foundation is making an initial investment of $500,000 in grants to select local nonprofits in the U.S. Gulf Coast region.
Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillon made the announcement Friday, (Aug. 21) in New Orleans.
“Hurricane Katrina touched our customers, associates, and communities in a profound way, and we haven’t forgotten,” McMillon said. “Working hand in hand with the people of the Gulf Region at that difficult moment showed us there are times when we can make a real difference. Today we’re gathering with leaders in New Orleans to reflect on the progress made since the storm and to make a $25 million commitment to disaster response and resiliency globally. We will continue to help communities prepare for – and recover from – the unexpected,” McMillon said during Friday’s event.
In addition to the $25 million commitment, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation also announced $2.9 million in grants recently made to several nonprofits that will help build the capacity of communities across the United States to be prepared to respond to disasters through business, government and nonprofit collaboration, volunteer training and new technology.
The grant recipients include:
• Good360: A $1 million grant from Walmart will support a new digital platform called DisasterRecovery360 that enables nonprofits to track the supplies needed immediately at the site of a disaster. It also allows companies to fulfill those needs in real-time through in-kind and cash donations.
• PYXERA Global: A $457,000 grant from Walmart will develop a global disaster corps model and run three pilot programs, in partnership with Team Rubicon. The model is designed to leverage volunteers to help communities prepare and respond to disasters.
• Team Rubicon: A $250,000 grant from Walmart will support the reintegration of military veterans by using their unique skills to respond to emergencies. The grant will further develop an incident management curriculum and develop advanced disaster response training for Team Rubicon volunteers.
• United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction: A $1.2 million grant from the Walmart Foundation will support the R!SE Initiative that will help build coalitions and local campaigns in the U.S. Gulf Coast specifically, and communities worldwide, to address the challenges of community preparedness and resiliency.