Editor's Note: This story first appeared in the Washington Business Journal. It is presented here in an abbreviated format. See the full article here.
Amazon is donating $1 million to four foundations in Greater Washington to help with relief efforts in the wake of the novel coronavirus crisis, the company said in a statement Wednesday morning.
The funds are meant to combat the economic ramifications caused by the global pandemic, specifically helping hourly workers, the homeless and elderly, according to a post on the Amazon's Day One. Amazon has already made several multimillion-dollar contributions in Seattle, with a $5 million small business fund for merchants near its home offices.
This most recent giving is a means of helping out those in need around the company's second headquarters, Jay Carney, Amazon's senior vice president of global corporate affairs, said in a statement.
"The Washington, D.C., area is our new home, and we must rally together to support our neighbors during this difficult time for our region and around the world," Carney sad. "In addition to making sure our Amazon customers can get the essentials they need, we will support our community partners who are doing life-saving work."
The four nonprofits who will get a portion of the money include, ACT for Alexandria, Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, the Greater Washington Community Foundation and the Arlington Community Foundation — the latter of which was Amazon's go-to last year when it contributed $3 million for affordable housing.
“Our four organizations are working closely together to respond in a nimble way to address the most critical needs facing our neighbors,” said Jennifer Owens, president of the Arlington Community Foundation. “We know that we are stronger together and hope this gift will inspire others to jump in and do what they can to improve outcomes for our neighbors in need.”
Amazon also said it is giving additional "in-kind and cash" donations to food banks, like Capital Area Food Bank, D.C. Central Kitchen, Arlington Food Access Center, Martha’s Table, and Central Union Mission, though it didn't specify a value of those donations.
