Did Wal-Mart Wake Up? - The Arthur Page Society

In every step forward, you have to make sure you're constantly educating your
staff, that we have a checking process. If you fall down, you have to get up.
People respect that. We've proved our commitment to doing it right. Retreat was
not an option. This was too central a focus to the strategy of the firm to go back. 50
4.5 Corporate Social Responsibility
For the past two years, Wal-Mart has proudly been named by the Chronicle of
Philanthropy as the largest corporate cash contributor in America, in which 90 percent of
its charitable cash donations were at the local level. 51 52 One effort in particular
contributed positively the company’s reputation: its relief for victims of Hurricane
Katrina in 2005. As local, state and federal officials geared up for the nation’s worst
natural disaster in history, Wal-Mart had 45 truckloads of relief supplies ready to be
shipped before Katrina hit the mainland. A week after Katrina hit, Wal-Mart sent 1,900
trailer loads of emergency supplies to affected areas. 53 Wal-Mart also pledged more than
$2 million in contributions towards the relief fund and stores, giving away free
merchandise in several evacuation areas. The mayor of Kenner, Louisiana would later
comment on MSNBC that the Federal Emergency Management Administration should
have taken a lesson from Wal-Mart. 54 Wal-Mart would continue this trend of disaster
relief by contributing a total of $4 million in cash and products to assist with major
natural disasters. 55
Other charitable contributions made in 2007 include $5 million coupled with $35
million in product donations to America’s Second Harvest, the nation’s largest hunger-
relief organization, $67 million towards supporting education through literacy and
scholarships, $32.5 million in donations to The Salvation Army’s bell-ringers in front of
Wal-Mart stores, and $39 million to the Children’s Miracle Network in support of local
20