Month: April 2024

In case you missed it, six nonprofits are receiving $5,000 each through the FedEx Cares Purple Totes Grant Contest. Here’s how the contest worked:

FedEx employees were invited to form teams, pick a nonprofit in need of donations, and then post a photo on social media showing the team delivering donations to the nonprofit. (Donations were not required to be delivered in purple tote bags, although many teams opted to do so.)

Entries were evaluated based on creativity of the photo, impact on the community, collaboration among the team, and the power of each team’s story. Grants were awarded to the first-place team in three divisions based on the team size.

In addition, employees were invited to vote on “People’s Choice Awards” for the most creative, most impactful, and most engaging entries.

More than 3,200 team members collected and donated over 4,700 totes worldwide through the contest, which is part of the FedEx Cares campaign to “Drive forward. Give back.”

Congratulations to the six winning teams.

PISA Team 
Quercianella, Italy 
Small Division First Place Winner 
$5,000 grant to Casa Papa Francesco

The PISA Team helped donate nine totes to the Casa Papa Francesco, a family-sized educational community in Quercianella – Livorno, Italy. The casa welcomes children from birth to 16 years of age and was designed and built with the wellbeing of the children in mind, valuing contact with nature and providing ample space for playtime and socialization, while giving support for their daily material needs.

Paws for a Cause 
Medium Division First Place Winner 
Salt Lake City, Utah 
$5,000 grant to Humane Society of Utah

Team Paws for a Cause donated 65 totes to the Humane Society of Utah, the biggest open-admission animal welfare organization in the state. The 15-member team helped to bring in food, treats, blankets, towels, and 24 oversized items for the Humane Society to use for the animals.

FedEx ACC 
Large Division First Place Winner 
Hyderabad, India 
$5,000 grant to ASRITHA Rainbow Home 

This team of 200+ FedEx employees donated more than 1,060 pounds of groceries and 1,700 hygiene products to the ASRITHA Rainbow Home, a nonprofit that helps young girls living in the streets of Hyderabad. The Rainbow House offers the girls opportunities to learn about proper nutrition, basic education, and social skills.

NOKY Strong 
Independence, Kentucky 
People’s Choice — Most Creative Award Winner 
$5,000 grant to Joe Burrow Foundation

The NOKY Strong team collected 6,277 items for the Joe Burrow Foundation. These items included food and hygiene products that will be distributed to children and families in Greater Cincinnati (Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana) and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who are dealing with mental health issues and food insecurity.

UAE Heartful Heroes 
Dubai, United Ara Emirates 
People’s Choice — Most Impactful Award Winner 
$5,000 grant to Senses Residential Day Care for Special Needs

The UAE Heartful Heroes team donated more than 3,700 pounds of food and necessities to the Senses Residential and Day Care for Special Needs, a nonprofit that provides specialized programs for kids between 3-19.

Melody Raymundo’s Team 
Pasay City, Philippines 
People’s Choice — Most Engaging Award Winner 
$5,000 grant to Action for the Care and Development of the Poor

Melody Raymundo’s team donated more than 50 totes to the Action for the Care and Development of the Poor in the Philippines (ACAP). The totes were filled with school supplies, which will be used by kids in Palanyag San Dionisio Paranaque. The ACAP empower youth through educational and social development programs.

Note: Award of the grant for nonprofits that do not have a U.S. affiliate and are not a registered Canadian charity are subject to final vetting and approval by CAF America. 

LINCOLN, Neb., April 10, 2024 /3BL/ – The Arbor Day Foundation’s innovative approach to tree planting was featured in an article from The Washington Post.

The Washington Post analysis explored how the Foundation has leveraged cutting-edge technology and data-driven insights to plant trees in neighborhoods where they are needed most. The Foundation’s partnership with the technology company NatureQuant (also highlighted in the piece) has enhanced the Foundation’s ability to identify low-canopy cities and neighborhoods and target those locations for tree plantings.

Trees have been proven to mitigate the effects of climate change like poor air quality and extreme heat, as well as improve people’s mental and physical health. Establishing healthy urban canopies is a crucial part of the Arbor Day Foundation’s commitment to ensuring equitable access to trees and green space in communities all around the world.

The full Washington Post article can be viewed here.

About the Arbor Day Foundation

Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation is the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. Together with our partners, we have helped plant more than 500 million trees in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. Our vision is to lead toward a world where trees are used to solve issues critical to survival. Through our members, partners and programs, the Arbor Day Foundation inspires people across the globe to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information is available at arborday.org.

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