The gift that keeps on giving

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation give away so much money it is hard to keep track of it all and this was certainly evident during the holiday season.

On Thursday, the company announced another round of grants totaling $200,000 to 10 nonprofits groups as part of its “12 Days of Giving” Facebook campaign. Those grants mark the culmination of an innovating corporate giving campaign that integrated social media and resulted in a total of $1.5 million being awarded to 145 organizations in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.

Regarding recipients of the grants, Julie Gehrki, senior director at the Walmart Foundation, said, “Every community needs a hero, someone who is willing to take extraordinary and selfless action to help those in need. We are honored to give these inspirational community heroes the recognition they deserve and do a small part to help them achieve their mission.”

Walmart’s call for nominations for its “12 Days of Giving” campaign resulted in more than 5,400 nominations from Facebook users who shared photos and short descriptions of a nonprofit’s impact in its local community. A panel from the Walmart Foundation reviewed submissions and selected nonprofits with a focus on organizations that are providing basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing and baby supplies.

Including the Facebook campaign, the Walmart Foundation this holiday season provided more than $19 million in grants.