Amazon donates to fight COVID-19 in the D.C. metro area
Amazon wants to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in the Washington, D.C., region.
The e-tailer, whose “HQ2” second headquarters campus is located in the greater Washington, D.C., area in Arlington, Va., has donated $1 million to four community foundations. The non-profit groups – ACT for Alexandria, Arlington Community Foundation, Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, and the Greater Washington Community Foundation, will each use a portion of Amazon’s $1 million donation as flexible funds for grants to nonprofits addressing food insecurity, housing and shelter, and providing emergency financial assistance.
Amazon says these organizations will work with communities disproportionately impacted by coronavirus and the economic consequences of the outbreak—including hourly workers, people experiencing homelessness, and the elderly. Amazon is also providing additional cash and in-kind support to five food service providers in the Washington, D.C., region.
"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," said Jay Carney, Amazon senior VP, global corporate affairs. "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. Amazon's $1 million donation to these four community groups will provide fast, flexible support to those who need it most and encourage a wave of additional community donations during this unprecedented time."
Amazon has also recently launched two other charitable efforts aimed at mitigating the impact of the coronavirus on its home state of Washington. These include a $5 million Neighborhood Small Business Relief Fund to provide cash grants to small businesses in Seattle that need assistance dealing with the impact of COVID-19. The company will also subsidy a full month of rent for tenants in the buildings it owns, and is continuing to pay all hourly staff who work for the service providers that support its offices in Seattle and Bellevue, Wash., during the time the company has recommended its employees work from home.