Last month, we were delighted to highlight a host of SB Corporate
Members
that were going above and beyond to come to the aid of communities in need as
COVID-19 strengthened its grip on the world. Now, as the crisis continues to
wear on, we wanted to applaud 10 more of our community members that have donated
their time, money and products and/or pivoted their business models to get
people in need what they need, fast.
BASF donates over 100 million protective masks
Earlier this month, as part of BASF’s “Helping Hands” campaign in the fight
against the corona pandemic, BASF
donated 100 million protective
masks
to the Federal Republic of Germany; and 1 million masks to the state of
Rhineland-Palatinate, where its corporate headquarters and largest
production site are located. The masks were purchased in China and shipped to
Germany.
Convoy pays 100% of trucking costs for full truckload donations to food banks
In an effort to address the growing food shortages facing millions of people
across the US impacted by COVID-19,
Convoy — the most efficient
digital freight network — announced earlier this month that it will pay the
trucking
costs
for any US business wanting to donate a truckload of product to its local food
bank. Companies such as Land O’Lakes Inc. are partnering with Convoy to
donate critical items to food banks across the nation.
Driscoll’s gives over $4 million in funds and berries globally during pandemic
Image credit: Santa Cruz Tech Beat
Family-owned berry giant
Driscoll’s has
committed
over $2.5 million in support to initiatives in the US and Canada, $1
million to central Mexico and Baja, and $500,000 to Europe and
Morocco. And just this week, the company teamed up with
PRO*ACT
— a nationwide fresh food supply chain management network — to donate more than
$1 million to support frontline healthcare responders. The “Feeding Our
Frontlines” initiative has distributed more than 35,000 boxes of fruit and
veggies to healthcare establishments at the epicenter of the COVID crisis —
including in Manhattan, Baltimore, Boston; and hospitals in 16
other states — with Driscoll’s already donating more than $350,000 in berries.
Estee Lauder donates millions in relief funds and product around the world
The Estée Lauder Companies
Inc., its brands and The
Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation have, among other
things:
-
awarded a $2 million grant to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans
Frontières to support its ongoing work around the world and response to
coronavirus in under-resourced and highly impacted countries.
-
provided a grant to support the establishment of The NYC COVID-19 Response
& Impact Fund — which has now
raised more than $95 million — to provide critical support for New York
City’s vital social services and cultural community organizations.
-
awarded over $800,000 to relief efforts in China.
Individual brand efforts include:
-
The Estée Lauder brand is donating two million surgical masks for those on
the front-lines in New York.
-
M∙A∙C Cosmetics' VIVA
GLAM Fund will allocate $10 million
to 250 local organizations all over the world that are providing essentials
needs and services to people at higher risk during the pandemic.
-
Clinique is donating 50,000 skin care products as a thank you to the doctors
and nurses in NYC's hospitals.
-
Aveda has donated over 123,000 bottles of shampoo, lotion and other Aveda
products to organizations and nonprofits helping those on the frontlines all
over the world.
-
In partnership with Jo Malone London, Estée Lauder’s Whitman
manufacturing facility in the UK is also producing hand sanitizer, to be
donated to frontline workers.
Fabri-Kal partners to provide medical face shields for Michigan healthcare workers
Fabri-Kal — a leading provider
of foodservice and custom thermoformed packaging solutions — is producing
medical face shields for healthcare workers in southwest Michigan. In less than
one week, the Fabri-Kal team — along with Schupan & Sons and Tekna — went from
prototype to production on face shields that will be provided to workers
treating COVID patients.
Click here to
learn more about the partnership …
HP to donate nearly $8M in products and grants globally to support students, schools
Image credit: HP Inc
As schools remain closed due to COVID-19, parents, teachers and students have
been thrust into a time of remote teaching and learning — but, while free
digital content remains useful, it eludes those students lacking the
connectivity or device access to complete schoolwork at home. So, HP Inc.
and its partners are working to close the homework and digital access gap during
the pandemic: HP has launched HP Turn to
Learn
— a program that will deliver educational content curated from leading
scientific, publishing and media companies to support teachers and students in
the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. HP is partnering with TIME for Kids,
Britannica and NASA on the program, which will focus on providing
critical resources to Title I school districts and underserved students across
the US. HP has removed the paywall from its TIME for
Kids digital content and will ensure immediate
access to printed classroom materials (textbooks, workbooks and other
paper-based assignments). The program will ensure K-Grade 3 learners in select
school districts will have access to TIME for Kids, Britannica and NASA for the
rest of the school year, with the program expanding to K-12 soon.
The tech giant has also announced a series of school district donations,
partnerships and new blended learning programs globally to respond to COVID-19.
Read about these and additional partnerships and donations
here.
Humana Foundation commits $50M to coronavirus relief, recovery efforts
The Humana Foundation, the philanthropic arm
of Humana Inc., has committed $50 million in
immediate short-term and long-term relief funds, and partner with national and
community service organizations to help those disproportionately impacted by the
COVID-19 health crisis. The commitment, the largest in the Foundation’s 38-year
history, will be split between organizations that support essential workers,
food security, behavioral health and community-based organizations (CBO).
$34 million of the $50 million commitment will be distributed to the immediate
short-term response efforts of service organizations on the frontlines of the
health crisis.
The remaining $16 million will go towards long-term recovery and rebuilding
support for service organizations helping to battle the virus. These
partnerships — including with March of
Dimes and Federally Qualified Health
Centers, among others — will focus on food security needs, holistic behavioral health
services and supporting CBOs in their efforts to address intentionally social
determinants of health needs in local communities across the country.
The KIND Foundation’s 'Frontline Impact Project' aims to support the people risking their lives to keep us safe
KIND Snacks’ KIND Foundation
and Project N95 — the National COVID-19
Clearinghouse for critical and personal protective equipment (PPE) — have
partnered to launch the Frontline Impact
Project,
a platform whereby healthcare institutions and other frontline response
organizations can request resources to help meet their greatest needs in the
face of the pandemic. Furthering the work of Project N95, which to date has
focused on performing supply chain diligence and helping healthcare workers who
need PPE, the partnership will extend an opportunity to the thousands of
healthcare facilities already in Project N95's network to also request donations
in the areas of nourishment, lodging, transportation, among others.
The KIND Foundation has committed up to $1 million to expand upon Project N95's
current efforts, to develop the Frontline Impact Project; and together
with Lubetzky Family Foundation, to build a civic network to source
additional resources. Additionally, KIND Snacks has committed to donate a
minimum of 5 million KIND bars to distribute to those on the front lines — 1
million of which have already been distributed.
Keurig Dr Pepper ‘fueling the frontline’ with free beverages
Image credit: Global Coffee Report
Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP)
recently launched a “Fueling the
Frontline” initiative
to provide Keurig brewers, coffee and other beverages to healthcare workers
nationwide. To date, thousands of breakrooms in approximately 250 hospitals have
been supplied with beverages, and the company expects to donate millions of cups
of coffee and thousands of bottled beverages during this crisis. Those hard-hit
communities most in need – including New York, New Jersey, Detroit,
Seattle and Los Angeles – were targeted first.
MGM Resorts supports NV healthcare workers and communities in need
MGM Resorts International has
committed a broad range of donations and
initiatives
to help alleviate supply shortages and support local communities throughout
Nevada through the pandemic. By leveraging its supply chain, procurement
capabilities, distribution systems, supplier network and other resources, MGM is
delivering daily urgent logistical support to help manage supply shortages of
critical items.
MGM provided logistical support helping the Nevada COVID-19 Task Force transport
250,000 COVID-19 rapid test kits and meet vital storage needs — the tests must
remain frozen to be viable — for the State of Nevada. The company donated large
freezer and refrigeration units from its Mandalay Bay property to the University
Medical Center of Southern Nevada for COVID-19 rapid test storage. MGM
partnered with Penske Trucks to meet the demand for freezer and refrigerated
storage. The company is also working closely with MGM Macau to source and ship much-needed PPE for healthcare workers in Nevada, including 200,000 gloves and
261,000 gowns.
MGM has also donated more than 555,405 pounds of food, which equates to 462,837
meals. Earlier this month, chefs from the company's resorts began to cook and
donate 1,000 hot meals a day for Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada through April 30. The effort meets an essential need for the
facility, which just recently reopened its Emergency Night Shelter after a
shelter client tested positive for COVID-19.
Panera expands fresh food delivery options for COVID-restricted diners
As restaurants continue to struggle with dining room closures, Panera
Bread has re-thought its model to
provide needed services to consumers during the pandemic. Panera
Grocery offers
contactless pickup or delivery of grocery items at a time when individuals are
attempting to shop less to reduce exposure to coronavirus. Consumers can order
produce and dairy items; as well as bread, bagels, sandwiches and soups through
Panera’s website, app or GrubHub.
UPS’ ‘Brown Army’ showing the power of logistics in supporting frontline workers, communities, business, government
Image credit: UPS
UPS has outlined a comprehensive set of actions it has taken to fight COVID-19
and to keep the US and global economies moving. In partnership with local, state and federal governments, NGOs, and healthcare
and pharmaceutical providers, UPS is facilitating the delivery of critical goods
and equipment to health care professionals, first responders, law enforcement
authorities, and government officials around the world, while also providing
basic essentials to people in the US who are staying at home to stop the spread
of the virus. Efforts include:
-
As part of FEMA Project Airbridge, UPS has added over 200 flights to
transport critical cargo from around the world to the US, to meet demand for
test kits, PPE and other supplies.
-
Partnered with 3M and FEMA to ship millions of masks to the US for use
by healthcare professionals and other frontline heroes.
-
Delivered over 250 drums of hand sanitizer to healthcare providers and first
responders, with plans to deliver more across the country.
-
Delivering the inaugural shipments of 50 ventilators manufactured by GM
in partnership with Ventec Life Systems to US hospitals in areas hard
hit by the virus.
-
Delivering a total of 1.2 million test kits in the U.S., with millions of
kits in the pipeline.
Read about these and many other partnerships and efforts
here.
This post was updated on April 30, 2020.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Apr 29, 2020 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST