Retailer will provide assistance to its team, along with financial resources and in-kind product donations to national and local relief organizations
Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) announced today that the company is committing up to $1 million in cash and in-kind donations to support communities impacted by Hurricane Irma. The donations will benefit Target team members, as well as national, local and international relief organizations that are committed to providing support for those impacted by the disaster. This donation is in addition to the $3.5 million that the company committed last week to Hurricane Harvey relief.
“In the wake of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma, I have been moved by the remarkable outpouring of support and commitment from people around the country. While we’re in the earliest stages of relief along the Gulf Coast and southeastern United States, we’ll stand with our Target team and be there to support the community on the long road to recovery,” said Target CEO and chairman Brian Cornell. “Similar to Hurricane Harvey, we know that providing the financial resources and products that families need is the greatest impact Target can make. Target today is proud to commit up to $1 million to be there for our team, guests and communities through this difficult time.”
As the company did with Hurricane Harvey, Target will provide resources and support to assist impacted team members and their families. The company set up a disaster relief fund last week, administered by Global Impact, to support Target team members and will continue to match employee donations dollar-for-dollar up to $1 million. Target team members will have the option to donate to Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma or both relief funds when they donate. For team members working at stores that are currently closed, Target will offer team members shifts at neighboring Target stores and to pay eligible team members while locations are closed.
In addition to the resources provided to Target team members, Target will donate up to $1 million to several national, local and international community organizations that focus on community relief. The donation includes:
- Up to $500,000 for the American Red Cross. The donation will include $250,000 in cash and in-kind product donations, as well as up to $250,000 that Target will provide to match donations that its guests make to The American Red Cross. Guests can donate here.
- $100,000 for Habitat for Humanity to support the organization’s efforts to rebuild homes across the southeast.
- $300,000 to national local relief organizations, including the Salvation Army, to help them purchase the supplies and essentials (like water, food and baby supplies) they need to assist with recovery efforts.
- $50,000 each to UNICEF and Save The Children to aid international communities impacted by Hurricane Irma.
In the days leading up to Hurricane Irma’s U.S. landfall, Target closed more than 120 stores and four distribution facilities for the safety of its team and guests. Stores in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina and distribution facilities in Florida and Georgia will reopen on a case-by-case basis, taking into account guest and team member safety and potential property damage.
Target’s distribution team members worked tirelessly before the storm hit to get products to stores as quickly as possible and help guests get the supplies they need for their families. The company shipped nearly three million bottles of water to stores, along with more than 45,000 packages of batteries and nearly 20,000 flashlights. When the distribution facilities reopen later this week, Target’s supply chain teams will immediately begin pushing products to impacted Target stores, including some trailers that were pre-loaded to distribute before the hurricane hit.
A full list of location closures can be found here.
About Target
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) serves guests at 1,816 stores and at Target.com. Since 1946, Target has given 5 percent of its profit to communities, which today equals millions of dollars a week. For more information, visit Target.com/Pressroom. For a behind-the-scenes look at Target, visit Target.com/abullseyeview or follow @TargetNews on Twitter.