Wal-Mart donates $255,000 to local Red Cross disaster services
(Ottawa – January 19, 2006) – Wal-Mart Canada announced today that it’s donating $255,000 to the Canadian Red Cross. The amount represents $1,000 for each of Wal-Mart’s 255 Canadian stores, with the money earmarked for Red Cross’ local disaster services across Canada.
The Canadian Red Cross helps people affected by emergencies and disasters – situations ranging from a housefire to a flood that disrupts an entire region of the country. Following a disaster, Red Cross works to provide for people's basic needs – food, clothing, shelter, first aid, emotional support and family reunification.
All Red Cross assistance is provided free of charge and is made possible because of the generosity of financial donors – such as Wal-Mart Canada - and the volunteers who provide time and expertise.
“Wal-Mart Canada has a history of generously supporting the Canadian Red Cross during times of disaster,” says Dr. Pierre Duplessis, Secretary General, Canadian Red Cross. “This latest contribution will help us to build our local capacity at the community level, right across the country, to respond to future disasters.”
"We are steadfast in our corporate support for initiatives that reflect the interests of our associates and customers coast to coast," says Wal-Mart Canada spokesperson Kevin Groh. "The Red Cross has once again given us the chance to demonstrate our broad commitment to Canada and our grassroots commitment to local communities."
In the last year, the Canadian Red Cross provided local disaster assistance to nearly 12,700 people and trained nearly 3,200 people in emergency preparedness.
As a corporate Disaster Partner, Wal-Mart Canada’s past contributions to the Canadian Red Cross include:
- In 2004, $708,000 was raised for Red Cross programs and $1 million for the tsunami appeal through in-store collections;
- Wal-Mart actively supported Red Cross programs for a wide range of disasters - from floods in Badger, Newfoundland to forest fires in British Columbia;
- In January 2005, the Canadian Red Cross/Wal-Mart Canada Disaster Preparedness and Response Fund was created with a $300,000 grant from Wal-Mart. The fund will assist Red Cross in building its capacity to train and deploy disaster management specialists in Canada and overseas. Funds will also strengthen the capacity of Red Cross to provide immediate life-saving assistance and long-term programming.
