The UPS Foundation Donates Over $7 Million to Community Safety Programs

UNICEF and The UPS Foundation partnered to provide emergency aid for Syrian refugee on Sept. 1
Sep 5, 2013 2:00 PM ET

ATLANTA, September 5, 2013 /3BL Media/ – On Sunday, September 1, The UPS Foundation, the philanthropic arm of UPS (NYSE: UPS), and The United Nations Children’s Fund  (UNICEF) partnered to airfreight 220,000 pounds of emergency aid to Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, to assist displaced Syrian children and families. The relief cargo included lifesaving health and sanitation kits, therapeutic foods, tents, mats, water, early childhood materials, and education supplies.  According to UNICEF, Syrian refugees in Iraq now number more than 200,000 -- some 50,000 refugees have arrived in the last two and a half weeks, half of whom are children.  

“Making a lasting difference around the world is a part of The UPS Foundation’s mission,” said Eduardo Martinez, president of The UPS Foundation. “Our organization is proud to work with UNICEF to respond to the humanitarian crisis affecting the millions of displaced Syrians.”

In addition to mobilizing aid for Syrians in refugee camps, The UPS Foundation utilizes UPS’s logistics expertise, transportation assets, and worldwide network to assist in community safety efforts, including disaster preparedness, relief efforts, volunteer deployment, and safe driving programs. This year, The UPS Foundation continues to support global communities with more than $5.5 million in donations, plus an additional $1.6 million committed to in-kind services, to 23 organizations that promote community safety through humanitarian relief and road safety initiatives. 

The UPS Foundation’s community safety grants will support several organizations that provide humanitarian relief, including:

  • The American Red Cross will allocate grant dollars to their Annual Disaster Giving Program and to support both domestic and international preparedness and response efforts.
  • CARE USA received grants that will be used for a variety of programs including the ongoing expansion of the Aidmatrix Foundation’s CTS warehouse management system throughout CARE’s global network, including implementation at the world’s largest refugee camp in Dadaab, Kenya.
  • The Salvation Army will use grant dollars provided for its Emergency Response Fund and in-kind shipping.
  • United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) received grants toward a tracking innovation project to enhance services to refugees, logistics response training, and emergency response funding.
  • The World Food Programme (WFP) will use grants to enhance tracking capabilities, support emergency preparedness efforts in Nigeria, and in-kind support for urgent relief operations.

Other organizations that are recipients of The UPS Foundation’s community safety grants, for the purpose of championing road safety, include:

  • The Boys and Girls Club of Canada, The National Foundation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hands on Shanghai Limited, Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e.V., and UK Youth toward the expansion of The UPS Road Code program across Canada, China, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States.
  • FIA Foundation – Road Safety Fund will receive a pledge for the Fleet Safety Modular Driver Training Program to develop audio training modules on road safety, defensive driving and, health and safety on the road in South Africa.

“We support an array of organizations that have community safety and humanitarian initiatives,” Martinez continued. “We are pleased to provide funding in an effort to minimize human suffering, strengthen communities worldwide, and create safer roads.”

For more information about UPS’s corporate giving, please visit www.UPS.com/Foundation.

About The UPS Foundation

UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight; the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Since its founding in 1907, UPS has built a legacy as a caring and responsible corporate citizen, supporting programs that provide long-term solutions to community needs. Founded in 1951, The UPS Foundation is responsible for facilitating community involvement to local, national, and global communities. In 2012, UPS and its employees, active and retired, invested more than $97.5 million in charitable giving around the world. The UPS Foundation can be found on the web at UPS.com/foundation. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.