In the United States, our grants for response to the impact of COVID-19 fall into these areas of need: food access, healthcare, small business and technology. In each area, we’ve given to organizations that support pivotal parts of the fight against the novel coronavirus. What follows is a list of our grantees in the U.S and information about Fight Hunger. Spark Change.
In addition to ongoing donations of unsold food from our stores and DCs and our Healthier Food for All program at Walmart.org, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation funded grants across the U.S. to bolster food security (for example, the Walmart Foundation committed $10 million in response to the pandemic to organizations helping increase food access, including $5 million to Feeding America). We focused on helping people access food benefits and supporting community organizations working to provide immediate access to meals and groceries – especially those who are most vulnerable. The grants focused on these areas of need:
Food Distribution - food banks and distribution agencies.
Grantee Spotlight
Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels is a nationwide network of community-based, non-profit programs dedicated to providing seniors in their communities with the support that enables them to remain living in their own homes. This support is typically a nutritious meal, a friendly visit and a quick safety check. When COVID-19 hit, millions of seniors found themselves more vulnerable and in need of urgent support, practically overnight. With support from Walmart and other donors, Meals on Wheels rose to the challenge and Made Good Go Further to deliver 19 million more meals and an additional one million seniors. Watch how local Meals on Wheels programs battled the impact of the coronavirus on the frontlines, as the world stayed in.
Meal Programs - Support school and community food service in providing meals for families.
Access to benefits - Support for organizations providing information or benefits application assistance (SNAP, WIC)
Walmart and Sam’s Club have long been working to fight food insecurity. But the drive shown by our customers, members and associates was more evident than ever in 2020, when we launched Fight Hunger. Spark Change. early to aid those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, in 2021, Walmart began the campaign by donating $3 million to Feeding America, supporting food banks in the places most vulnerable to food insecurity. In 2022, as we enter the ninth year of the campaign, we’ve donated more than 7 billion pounds of food to Feeding America member food banks as we work to fight hunger in communities nationwide.
Our philanthropic contributions related to healthcare in the U.S. have focused on organizations on the front lines of the COVID-19 response; for example, we’ve donated to the Hispanic Federation and the Boys and Girls Club of America Native Services, who are providing aid for frontline workers and vulnerable populations in communities around the country. We’ve also donated personal protective equipment to healthcare providers and supported organizations that increase education and awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine to diverse communities around the United States. Read below for more details and information about our grant recipients.
Another immediate challenge facing us as a country is the increased demand for medical supplies, especially PPE. We tapped into our supply chain to help McKesson source and deliver gowns and coveralls to healthcare professionals in the U.S. We have also collaborated with Salesforce and State Farm to provide masks and shoe coverings to healthcare workers in Michigan and Louisiana. Walmart also donated 50,000 masks to hospitals in New York and more than 3,000 masks to underserved communities in Los Angeles County.
To help provide emergency assistance to small business owners impacted by the pandemic, we supported an effort by Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to help small businesses, including support for the LISC Rapid Relief and Resiliency Fund. The Fund helps provide emergency assistance to small business owners impacted by the pandemic.
We have provided some support to organizations assisting with internet access for online learning and remote provision of social services. (for example, organizations like the National Urban League and the NAACP using technology to meet urgent local needs). Read below to view grant recipients:
We contributed $5 million to the UN Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund to support the World Health Organization’s global efforts to help countries prevent, detect and manage the coronavirus.
Below is the list of organizations receiving cash and in-kind donations from Walmart entities for COVID-19 response: