Article: Walmart Donates $350,000 to Support Disaster Relief Around the World

The following excerpt is from an October 14, 2009 article published by Reuters.  To read the article in its entirety, please click here

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — The Walmart Foundation announced today a donation of $350,000 in disaster relief for people impacted by recent droughts in Guatemala, flooding in southern India and natural disasters in Southeast Asia.

“At Walmart, we are dedicated to providing support for communities around the world, especially when they need us the most,” said Margaret McKenna, president, Walmart Foundation. “Given the scale and devastating impact of these occurrences, we want to do our part to help in these tough times.”

In Guatemala, a $100,000 donation to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) will go toward purchasing and distributing therapeutic foods to fight acute malnutrition in the impacted areas. The donation will provide 95 tons of Vitacereal(TM), which provides essential micronutrients that are lacking in rural indigenous diets but play an important role in growth and protection against disease. The funds will support 31,000 beneficiaries to reduce chronic malnutrition in the most affected areas of the country.

“The WFP thanks Walmart for this contribution to the Vitacereal program in Guatemala, which is in critical need of funding and supplies,” said Willem Van Milink, WFP representative in Guatemala. “With this contribution, Walmart is ensuring nutritional assistance specifically for pregnant women as well as young children. This will help with their development as well as break the intergenerational cycle of hunger and poverty.”

Click here to read the rest of the article, or here to read more about the 2009 food crisis.

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