Levi Strauss & Co. and the Levi Strauss Foundation Respond to Natural Disasters
Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&CO.) and the Levi Strauss Foundation (LSF) respond to disasters that occur around the world in communities where the company has a business presence and where our products are manufactured. Disaster relief is supported through LSF grants, company product donations and by matching donations made by LS&CO. employees to disaster relief organizations. The Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for disaster relief grants.
The Levi Strauss Foundation provides short-term relief grants immediately following a disaster to organizations already familiar with or working in the affected region(s). The American Red Cross, OxFam, and Save the Children have recently been recipients of these grants. LSF responds to catastrophic disasters, like the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, with short-term relief in addition to grants for mid- to long-term recovery efforts. After the tsunami in Southeast Asia the Levi Strauss Foundation designated a significant amount of its overall giving for the disaster, $160,000, for mid- to long-term recovery. It focused on identifying the gaps in relief efforts and assisting marginalized communities that were neglected by the larger-scale relief and rehabilitation efforts.
In the case of catastrophic disasters, the Levi Strauss Foundation will often establish special matching gifts programs to encourage employee giving and to increase the impact of employee’s generosity. For example, in response to the Asian tsunami, LSF implemented a special two-for-one matching gift program open to employees around the world for all donations made to OxFam and Save the Children. The program resulted in employee donations of $139,655 which when combined with the special two-for-one match resulted in $418,965 in support.
When clothing is needed after a disaster, LS&CO. responds with in-kind donations. In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Levi Strauss Signature® brand donated 230,000 pairs of new jeans that were distributed to numerous organizations through the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. After the 9/11 attacks, the Levi’s® brand donated 2,000 pairs of work jeans to aid the rescue and recovery crews working in New York City.
LS&CO’s employee Community Involvement Teams (CITs) get involved with disaster response through volunteering and fundraising. After Hurricane Katrina, CITs in Canton, Miss., and Dallas, Texas, organized food and clothing drives for local organizations including the Salvation Army. In addition, LS&CO. donated the use of several thousand square feet of warehouse and office space in Canton to Habitat for Humanity to help with the rebuilding of homes that were destroyed in the disaster.
The Red Tab Foundation was also involved in hurricane relief efforts, providing grants to employees and retirees who were affected by the disaster or who took in family members or others who had lost their homes or otherwise been displaced from their communities.
LS&CO. has a long history of supporting disaster relief. The company made a financial contribution to the city of Chicago to assist in rebuilding after the great fire of 1871. And after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, LS&CO. extended credit to local businesses and kept employees on the payroll — even while the company headquarters and factories lay in ruins.
While it does not fall squarely into the areas on which the company or the foundation is focused in terms of philanthropy, supporting communities that have fallen victim to natural disasters reflects our corporate values of empathy, originality, integrity and courage.