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Oregon Truck DISPATCH
www.ORtrucking.orgHEADER F TU E
Walmart Steps Up to the
Plate during Wildfire Season
While the 2015 Oregon wildfire season can be summed up in statistics
, with 10,900 firefighters, 1,000
individual fires, 600,000 acres burned and costing over $211 million, numbers don’t touch on the loss of property,
households and personal belongings. While dedicated crews were battling fires across the Pacific Northwest, teams
from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation committed to provide $200,000 in cash and in-kind support for
relief efforts, offering continuous support with food, water, cots, blankets, hygiene products and other necessities.
Walmart not only committed money and in-kind support, but some Walmart locations even served as
evacuation points in some communities. Walmart stores in Northern California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho,
which were located outside of the hazard zones, remained open 24 hours a day to ensure that the community
had access to much needed supplies.
In addition to Walmart’s focus
on helping local communities
get back on their feet, they are
also assisting their own
associates who were affected by
the wildfires by executing
Disaster Displacement
Assistance. This directive
helped associates and their
families to get out of harm’s
way and cover some of the
personal items needed during
their evacuation.
“In good times and bad,
Walmart is committed to
helping families. Not only are
our associates in the affected
regions providing much-
needed assistance wherever
they can, but we’re providing
even more support to
communities coping with these
natural disasters through cash
donations from the Walmart
Foundation and in-kind
donations from Walmart,”
said Chester Gray, Regional
General Manager for Walmart.
By Courtney Sipel, OTA Staff