Walmart Giving Exceeds $1.48 Million in Hawaii During Last Fiscal Year – Additionally, more than 566,000 pounds of food was donated to local food banks

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walmartHONOLULU – Walmart and the Walmart Foundation announced that during the last fiscal year they gave more than $1.48 million in cash and in-kind contributions to charitable organizations throughout Hawaii. Globally, the company and its Foundation donated more than $1.3 billion to non-profit groups, surpassing the previous year’s total by more than $244 million.

“We believe in giving back to the communities in which we serve as we demonstrated Wednesday with the announcement of $30,000 in grants at the opening of our new downtown store,” said Rey Armijo, Hawaii Market Manager for Walmart. “And, as highlighted in our stats today, Walmart’s charitable giving is year-round across the state. I’d also like to remind Hawaii non-profits that the final deadline for our 2014 Walmart Foundation Hawaii State Giving Council grants of $25,000 or higher is Saturday, July 12. Online applications and details are available at https://foundation.walmart.com.”

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Additionally, since announcing the historic Fighting Hunger Together commitment in 2010 to donate 1.1 billion pounds of food and $250 million in cash by 2015, Walmart and Sam’s Club facilities have surpassed both goals one year earlier than projected. As of January 2014, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation donated 1.58 billion pounds of food, the equivalent of approximately 1.32 billion meals, and have awarded $260 million in grants to hunger relief programs in the United States, exceeding their original commitment by four percent. Overall, Walmart has exceeded $2 billion of cash and in-kind commitments to fight hunger at the local, state and national levels.

In Hawaii, Walmart donated 566,094 pounds of food to local food banks – the equivalent of 471,745 meals in the last fiscal year. Among food-related grants, the retailer and its foundation provided $100,000 to the Hawaii Foodbank allowing the continuation of weekly and holiday food distributions via backpacks to keiki at risk of hunger. The much-needed program serves close to 90 percent of the students at Princess Kaiulani Elementary School near downtown Honolulu [approximately 365 keiki of the 411 student population].

What a wonderful Christmas gift to receive!” said Dick Grimm, CEO of the Hawaii Foodbank. “Our staff was facing the reality of cutting food distributions from every Friday to just once a month before Walmart stepped up and provided the funds for us to continue on a weekly basis. The grant allowed us to continue the program into the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year.”

Hawaii Giving Highlights for FYE 2014 (February 2013 through January 2014)

·       Total Walmart and Walmart Foundation contributions (cash and in-kind) – $1,483,822

·       Total customer and associate giving – $309,832

·       Total food donation – 566,094 pounds

·       Meal equivalent – 471,745 meals

Among the Hawaii nonprofits receiving grants from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation last fiscal year included:

Boys & Girls Club of The Big Island

Family Promise of Hawaii

Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice

Hawaii Foodbank – Keiki Backpack Program

Hawaii Red Cross – Nurse Aide Training

Junior Achievement of Hawaii

United States Veterans Initiative

YWCA of Oahu – Dress for Success

For more information about the Walmart Foundation, visit https://foundation.walmart.com.

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are committed to helping people live better through philanthropic efforts. By operating globally and giving back locally, Walmart is uniquely positioned to address the needs of the communities it serves and make a significant social impact within its core areas of giving: Hunger Relief & Healthy Eating, Sustainability, Career Opportunity and Women’s Economic Empowerment. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are leading the fight against hunger in the United States with a $2 billion commitment through 2015. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have donated more than 1.3 billion meals to people in need across the country. To learn more about Walmart’s giving, visit  foundation.walmart.com.

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