Walmart Foundation Commits $500,000 to Operation Homefront to Support Military Families Impacted by Recent Hurricanes
17 October 2017 - 6:00AM
Business Wire
The funding will meet critical needs for up to
1,000 military family members affected by the 2017 Hurricane
Season
The Walmart Foundation is committing $500,000 to Operation
Homefront’s Critical Financial Assistance program to help meet the
unique and urgent needs of military families affected by the 2017
hurricane season.
The funding will support the financial needs of up to 1,000
requests from military family members struggling to make ends meet
in the areas impacted by disaster, including hotel costs for those
displaced from their homes, car repairs, utility bills, housing
costs and groceries. In addition, the funding will help make up the
difference in lost wages for members in the Reserve and National
Guard who are called for active duty and must take leave of absence
from jobs due to hurricane relief and rescue efforts.
“This year’s hurricane season has been particularly devastating.
While hurricanes impact many of us, they can have a double impact
on men and women in uniform, who serve a vital role in activating
to support local communities affected by disaster, while also
feeling the impact on their own families and homes,” said Julie
Gehrki, vice president, programs for Walmart. “As a company
committed to disaster relief, and a long-term partner of Operation
Homefront, we share a commitment to build strong, stable and secure
military families and are fully dedicated to assisting these
families as they face financial hardships due to this year’s
devastating hurricanes.”
The funding builds upon Walmart and the Walmart Foundation’s
previously announced commitments totaling $35 million to support
2017 hurricane assistance in response to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma
and Maria.
The Critical Financial Assistance program addresses financial
crises for families of deployed and injured service members and is
managed by Operation Homefront professional case workers who
validate financial needs, offer assistance in the form of grants
rather than loans and pay funds directly to service providers. The
Walmart Foundation funding will support eligible participants,
focusing on junior- and mid-grade enlisted service members (E1-E6)
and all post-9/11 wounded, ill or injured service members with
medical documentation on injury and discharged with honorable
service within the past seven years. In addition, activated
National Guard and Reserve members are considered active duty and
are also eligible for the Critical Financial Assistance
program.
“Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have been incredible
partners for more than a decade,” said Brig Gen (ret) John I. Pray,
Jr., president and CEO of Operation Homefront. “We are very
grateful for their continuing commitment to helping us help our
military families as well as their new support for our Critical
Financial Assistance program. Since 2011, this vital program has
fulfilled over 35,000 requests from veteran and military families,
and the Walmart Foundation’s enthusiastic support will allow us to
serve more military families, particularly those impacted by this
year’s devastating hurricanes with the goal of helping them thrive
in the communities they have worked so hard to protect.”
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have a history of providing
aid in times of disasters, helping communities prepare and recover
by donating emergency supplies, such as food and water, home and
personal products. Aside from the $35 million committed in response
to this year’s hurricanes, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have
donated more than $60 million in cash and in-kind donations in
response to disaster events since 2005.
In addition, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have long
supported military members, veterans and their families. As a
long-term partner of Operation Homefront, Walmart and the Walmart
Foundation have helped tens of thousands of military and veteran
families through cumulative contributions of $6 million since 2006.
Moreover, through its Military Family Promise, Walmart guarantees a
job at a nearby store or club for all military personnel and
military spouses employed by the company who move to a different
part of the country because they or their spouse have been
transferred by the U.S. military. Walmart also recently announced
major changes to its military leave of absence policy, offering
differential pay to associates for any military assignment,
including voluntary service like basic training, allowing
associates who are considering enlisting in the armed forces to do
so without fear of losing wages.
About WalmartWal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps
people around the world save money and live better - anytime and
anywhere - in retail stores, online, and through their mobile
devices. Each week, over 260 million customers and members visit
our more than 11,600 stores under 59 banners in 28 countries and
e-commerce websites in 11 countries. With fiscal year 2017 revenue
of $485.9 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.3 million
associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in
sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity.
Additional information about Walmart can be found by
visiting http://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook
at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter
at http://twitter.com/walmart.
About Philanthropy at WalmartBy using our strengths to
help others, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation create
opportunities for people to live better every day. Walmart has
stores in 28 countries, employing more than 2.3 million associates
and doing business with thousands of suppliers who, in turn, employ
millions of people. Our philanthropy helps people live better by
supporting 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 Walmart operates 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. To learn more about Walmart’s
giving, visit http://www.foundation.walmart.com.
About Operation HomefrontFounded in 2002, Operation
Homefront is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to
build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can
thrive – not simply struggle to get by – in the communities they
have worked so hard to protect. Recognized for superior performance
by leading independent charity oversight groups, 92 percent of
Operation Homefront expenditures go directly to programs that
support tens of thousands of military families each year. Operation
Homefront provides critical financial assistance, transitional and
permanent housing and family support services to prevent short-term
needs from turning into chronic, long-term struggles. Thanks to the
generosity of our donors and the support from thousands of
volunteers, Operation Homefront proudly serves America’s military
families. For more information, visit OperationHomefront.org.
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171016005764/en/
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.Blair Cromwell,
800-331-0085news.walmart.com/reporter
Walmart (NYSE:WMT)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2024 to May 2024
Walmart (NYSE:WMT)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2023 to May 2024