Walmart and The Salvation Armyâs Fill the Truck Toy Drive to Deliver Hundreds of Thousands of Gifts to Children
Walmart Foundation also donates $1 million to The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign
Alexandria, VA (Nov. 26, 2013) – Walmart and The Salvation Army announced today the second annual Fill the Truck Toy Drive, which will bring hundreds of thousands of toys to children across the country. The toy drive kicks off on Nov. 29 and is part of Walmart’s long-standing partnership with The Salvation Army, which also includes the iconic red kettle campaign.
The Fill the Truck Toy Drive will take place on select weekends starting Nov. 29 and ending Dec. 15 in 1,600 stores across the country. Collection bins will also be located inside 3,500 Walmart stores during the entire three week period. Customers will be able to drop off new, unwrapped toys at the trucks or in the bins through Dec. 15.
“The holidays are a time for gifting, and a time for giving,” said Scott McCall, senior vice president of toys and seasonal at Walmart U.S. “We think every child should have something under their Christmas tree. Our hope is that the Fill the Truck toy drive will help bring holiday cheer to hundreds of thousands of children across the country.”
“Walmart has been such a big supporter of The Salvation Army and we are so appreciative of all the hard work they put into Fill the Truck,” Said Major Ron Busroe, national community relations and development secretary for The Salvation Army. “This year, Fill the Truck is reaching even more customers and our hope is to provide more children with a Christmas toy that they would not receive otherwise.”
The Fill the Truck toy drive is part of Walmart’s more than 40-year partnership with The Salvation Army. This year, the Walmart Foundation donated $1 million dollars to The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, which will be applied to The Salvation Army feeding programs nationwide. In addition, Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs will host The Salvation Army’s red kettles and bell ringers between Nov. 29 and Dec. 24, 2013. Last year, Walmart and Sam’s Club helped The Salvation Army raise nearly $45 million—or 30 percent of the total amount raised during the campaign. All donations made to the red kettles remain in the local communities in which they are collected, and will help The Salvation Army provide food, clothing, shelter, financial assistance and other services to roughly 30 million people this year.
Walmart’s partnership with The Salvation Army is just one example of how Walmart gives back during the holiday season. Walmart also launched its “Holiday Salute to Military Families” on Veteran’s Day. The initiative provides a total of $1.5 million in support to Operation Homefront and Fisher House to help spread holiday joy to our nation’s heroes and their families. The donation will provide toys, meals and lodging assistance to those military families in greatest need of support this year, while also helping to reunite active duty service members with their loved ones, just in time for the holidays.
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About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, more than 245 million customers and members visit our more than 11,000 stores under 69 banners in 27 countries and e-commerce websites in 10 countries. With fiscal year 2013 sales of approximately $466 billion, Walmart employs more than 2.2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at twitter.com/walmartnewsroom. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com and www.samsclub.com.
About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar The Salvation Army spends is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.