CHESAPEAKE, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dollar Tree, Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR), along with financial contributions from its associates through its inaugural ‘Choose to Give’ workplace giving campaign, donated $2.7 million in 2020 to the Company’s three largest philanthropic partnerships: Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Operation Homefront, and United Way of South Hampton Roads (UWSHR). Additionally, vendor partners and customers donated millions of dollars throughout the year to the charitable partners, including a $1 million gift from The Coca-Cola Company.
“The communities we serve will always be at the heart of everything we do. Our partnerships with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Operation Homefront, and United Way of South Hampton Roads have helped Dollar Tree and Family Dollar give back to our customers, youth, and neighbors,” said Michael Witynski, Dollar Tree’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “During these uncertain times and in the face of adversity, I have been inspired by the countless stories of how these organizations have provided aid to the public when they needed it most. This critical support empowers our shared communities to continue to grow and prosper.”
To invest in tomorrow’s leaders, Family Dollar increased its annual giving to Boys & Girls Clubs of America in 2020 to more than $2 million through customer, associate, vendor, and corporate donations, including $1 million from The Coca-Cola Company’s ‘Make Every Sip Count’ campaign. Boys & Girls Clubs of America is using the funds for its Youth of the Year program, which provides opportunities for teen Club members to build critical leadership skills. The remaining funds are being used to serve meals to youth, support families of healthcare workers and first responders, and to provide out-of-school services to local communities. Many Family Dollar stores share neighborhoods with Club locations and the Company recognizes the important role Boys & Girls Clubs of America serves in helping the youth of today become the leaders of tomorrow.
“Boys & Girls Clubs have always continually evolved our programs and services, mobilizing to provide critical support for the urgent needs of young people, and while unprecedented, 2020 was no different,” said Jim Clark, President and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “Today, Clubs are doing whatever it takes to create equity for kids by providing access to services that promote wellbeing and academic programs to prevent learning loss and support virtual learning. We are so thankful to have Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and The Coca-Cola Company as dedicated partners to our mission. Their support will help provide much needed resources for youth and families in local communities.”
Dollar Tree is a longtime national sponsor of Operation Homefront, which provides emergency, financial, and other assistance to the families of United States service members and veterans. Since partnering with Operation Homefront, Dollar Tree customers have generously donated millions of school supplies and toys through the annual Back-to-School Brigade® and Holiday Toy Drive campaigns. In 2020, Operation Homefront reached a milestone by distributing its 400,000th backpack with school supplies, and saving military families more than $50 million in back-to-school expenses since 2008. To help further Operation Homefront’s support of America’s heroes, associates and the Company donated more than $725,000 in 2020 and provided support for the distribution of the school supplies and toys collected during the campaigns. Additionally, associates at the Company’s Store Support Center supported 15 southeastern Virginia military families during the 2020 Adopt-A-Family program that brought holiday cheer to 40 children. Operation Homefront selected the families based on their financial need and many have family members who are currently deployed or are stationed on active ships that are in and out of ports frequently.
“We are thrilled to be a part of Dollar Tree’s inaugural ‘Choose to Give’ campaign and congratulate them for this incredible achievement,” said Brig. Gen. John Pray, President and CEO of Operation Homefront. “We have been a proud partner with Dollar Tree for nearly 15 years. Together, we’ve built a foundation of success for military families, providing school supplies that saved them more than $50 million, delivering holiday toys that saved them over $80 million, and fulfilling requests for financial assistance from families of more than $28 million. We are so grateful to Dollar Tree, its customers, and their team associates for their contributions to this campaign, which will allow us to help even more military families with our life-changing programs.”
To support its neighbors in southeastern Virginia, the Company announced its new partnership with UWSHR in 2020 to help facilitate the ‘Choose to Give’ campaign that empowered its Store Support Center associates to donate to all three charitable partnerships. Along with the funds donated by associates, the Company also made a corporate gift to UWSHR of $1 million in April 2020, of which, $250,000 was used to provide COVID-19 relief through direct services to individuals needing assistance, support to nonprofit agencies on the front-lines, and long-term recovery planning. The other funds are being used for UWSHR’s various initiatives that are focused on breaking the cycle of poverty and promoting economic mobility for children, veterans, and families in the coastal Virginia area.
“We could not be more excited and honored that Dollar Tree and Family Dollar have chosen to partner with us to create a brighter future for the 757,” said Michele Anderson, President and CEO of UWSHR. “We’ve never had a corporate partner come onboard in such a significant and immediate way, and it has been such an inspiration, particularly in a really challenging year for our community. We can’t thank Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and their associates enough for stepping up to show their care for the communities in which they work, shop, and live.”
About Dollar Tree, Inc.
Dollar Tree, a Fortune 200 Company, operated 15,606 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces as of October 31, 2020. Stores operate under the brands of Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree Canada. To learn more about the Company, visit www.DollarTree.com.
