Corporate America Helps Relief Efforts
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - While individuals stood in line to give blood, corporate America lined up with cash to help in the rescue and relief efforts at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon (news - web sites) -- including $10 million from General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE - news)
The two landmarks were slammed by hijacked commercial airliners on Tuesday, causing what is believed to be thousands of deaths.
To help, companies offered their own money, and others said they will look to their customers to make donations as well. Some offered gear that was needed at the moment -- Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT - news) brought communications gear to the scene. A real estate trade group is even collecting to help affected families pay their bills.
GE offered the $10 million to New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (news - web sites) on Wednesday, to help the families of New York emergency workers who are presumed dead.
Internet networker Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:CSCO - news) said it will donate about $6 million in cash to select aid groups to support efforts in New York and at the Pentagon, the U.S. military's command center near Washington, D.C.
Other corporations offered their own funds and then looked to their own customers to contribute.
Financial services company Wells Fargo and Co. (NYSE:WFC - news) said it contributed $1 million to the Red Cross, and said a Wells Fargo-Red Cross account had been established to allow contributions at the more than 3,000 banking branches across the United States.
Deerfield, Ill.-based Drug store chain Walgreen Co. (NYSE:WAG - news), which gave the relief organization $25,000 in cash and $25,000 worth of merchandise, said it would start accepting cash from customers for the Red Cross on Thursday at its more than 3,500 stores.
SEPT 11 FUND ESTABLISHED
El Segundo, Calif.-based oil and gas company Unocal Corp. (NYSE:UCL - news) said it is donating $100,000 to support emergency efforts, through two campaigns.
It earmarked $50,000 for the Red Cross and $50,000 to the September 11th Fund, which has been set up by the United Way and the New York Community Trust to help victims and their families.
``The attacks on innocent American civilians and military personnel is a national tragedy,'' Charles Williamson, Unocal chief executive, said in a statement. ``By these donations, we hope to assist immediate efforts now under way to help our fellow citizens whose lives have been disrupted by these heinous acts.''
Clearwater, Fla.-based Software Shelf International Inc. said it is donating 10 percent of its profits from worldwide sales ``on a continuing basis'' to relief efforts in New York and Washington.
Motorola Inc. spokesman Scott Wyman told Reuters that the wireless equipment maker deployed crisis teams to assist authorities after Tuesday's attacks.
Wyman said that Motorola, based in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Ill., has shipped thousands of mobile radios, batteries, base stations and other communications equipment to New York and Washington.
``All of our facilities, both manufacturing and distribution, worldwide are on what we are referring to as full alert and giving priority to public safety emergency orders,'' Wyman said.
Other help was offered to families, who still need to pay the bills amid the tragedy.
The National Association of Realtors said it established a fund to help pay the mortgage and rental costs of families affected by the terror attacks in New York City and on the Pentagon. The trade group will contribute $1 million and is urging realtors nationwide to contribute to the fund. |
