DRUs - Gifts that Keep on Giving

On November 30th, 2007 I had the happy privilege to be at Turner Field in Atlanta participating in the NBC 11Alive 25th annual Holiday Can-a-Thon. At that event, FedEx presented The Salvation Army of Metro Atlanta with a new Disaster Response Unit (DRU). The DRU is a canteen truck that may be used to feed about 2,500 people a day and it was one of the first to be deployed in response to the recent severe flooding in Atlanta.

The Atlanta DRU is one of 12 that FedEx has donated to Salvation Army affiliates around the world since 2007 (at a cost of $100,000 each). Disaster preparedness and response is one of our core philanthropic focus areas at FedEx, and it is a joy to work in this area with The Salvation Army, one of the most effective and respected relief agencies in the world, operating in 113 countries.

The DRUs have proven themselves to be gifts that keep on giving.

To further assist The Salvation Army, FedEx made a donation of $25,000 to the Salvation Army of Metro Atlanta to support their ongoing work in the community as they continue to provide meals to many who were devastated by the floods.

Back in May of this year, FedEx donated a DRU to The Salvation Army-National Capital Area Command in Washington, D.C.  The D.C. DRU responded to its first large-scale incident serving first responders and others on the scene after the Washington Metro train collision in D.C. on June 22.

The DRU we donated to The Salvation Army in Los Angeles has been used to assist those impacted by recent wildfires and, when not responding to large-scale disasters, is used to help feed the homeless in MacArthur Park. The extra-large DRU we gave to the Miami Salvation Army affiliate was driven to Galveston, TX last year after the Gulf Coast Hurricanes to help feed needy evacuees.

For more than 8 years, FedEx has remained committed to the work of The Salvation Army Disaster Response Services. Our support enables The Salvation Army and its emergency response personnel to be among the first to reach the site of devastation and immediately begin providing material, physical and emotional comfort for both survivors and first responders.

In addition to our work with The Salvation Army, FedEx provides more than $1 million of cash and in-kind transportation support yearly to the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program. This helps the Red Cross to respond to large scale disasters such as the flooding in Atlanta providing volunteer support, food, shelter and comfort kits to those in need.