The funding will meet critical needs for up to 1,000 military family
members affected by the 2017 Hurricane Season
SAN ANTONIO -- (Business Wire)
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 Walmart
Wal-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 Walmart
By 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 Homefront
Founded 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/
Contacts:
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Blair Cromwell, 800-331-0085
news.walmart.com/reporter
Source: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
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