Corporate Responsivity Efforts Worth Writing About
The following is a list of corporations with a presence in the United States that have recently taken actions to give back and enrich society.
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company announced it will deploy its Mobile Response Unit to provide housing assistance to Baton Rouge customers affected by flooding. The Mobile Response Unit is located in Denham Springs, LA. Customers could receive in-person assistance seven days a week through September 16, 2015. Wells Fargo mortgage customers could also receive disaster assistance services at the company’s mortgage offices located in Baton Rouge and Lafayette.
Standard Insurance Company
The Standard Charitable Foundation, funded by Standard Insurance Company, and its employees and retirees contributed more than $3.5 million last year to nonprofit organizations. The collective donations prepared children for classroom success, widened access to the arts, helped people with disabilities live independently, and supported families facing various challenges.
Through the company’s matching gift program, 2,000 employees and retirees donated $2.2 million, with the dollar-for-dollar corporate match, more than 1,350 nonprofit organizations in communities where employees live and work benefited.
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart has taken another step in the effort to increase economic stability for retail workers in the United States. The Walmart Foundation recently announced that 10 Workforce Development Boards (WDBs) across the country will receive funding from The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (The Partnership). The 10 selected WDBs will collectively create and implement new models of career services specific to retail. WDBs involve providing services to workers such as career coaching, skills training, and referrals to other resources. Funds are part of the $10.9 million the Walmart Foundation granted to The Partnership in March 2016.
AvalonBay Communities
AvalonBay Communities, Inc., a large multifamily real estate investment trust (REIT), recently announced its fifth annual Spirit of Caring Month in September. The company’s 3,000 employees are encouraged to volunteer their time with more than 50 partner organizations. Donation drives will also be conducted at more than 280 apartment communities owned by AvalonBay.
Spirit of Caring Month is part of AvalonBay’s overall Building Strong Communities philanthropy program which provided $1.1 million in 2015 in cash to organizations focused on disaster preparations, sustainable housing, and aid to the disadvantaged.
Utz Quality Foods
Utz Quality Foods is a sponsor and participant in the historic York Fair of Pennsylvania which runs from Friday, September 9 through Sunday, September 18, 2016. Utz will be located at York Fair in Memorial Hall and will have a variety of paid-for carnival games, prizes, and plenty of free foods to sample. All revenue generated by Utz carnival game ticket purchases will be donated to the Children’s Miracle Network at Penn State Children’s Hospital.
Aetna
The Aetna Foundation recently announced it has awarded community grants to 23 nonprofit organizations as part of its Cultivating Healthy Communities program. This program is dedicated to fostering healthy eating and active lifestyles. The initiative will benefit communities by improving health measures such as access to healthy food sources and adequate physical activity, creating more space for walking and biking.
These funds address the need to improve health for all Americans, regardless of income, education, or ethnicity. In 2014, 14%of American households faced food shortages, and more than 23 million Americans lived in rural or urban neighborhoods more than a mile away from the nearest grocery store.
Other corporations aiding non-profit organizations are Office Depot, Yamaha, and Pei Wei.
