“We are deeply saddened by the news of the catastrophic earthquakes that claimed the lives of so many in Turkey and Syria,” said David Sarlitto, Executive Director, Ocean State Job Lot Charitable Foundation. “As residents work toward recovery, while enduring the worst of the winter elements, we are humbled to provide what assistance we can, and thank our generous customers for their support.”
As a Responsible Retailer, we try to help during times of crisis around the world. In recent years, we’ve partnered with our customers to provide assistance for victims of natural disasters here in the US in Florida, Kentucky and Louisiana; people impacted by an earthquake in Haiti, and families in need in Ukraine.. Now, we are assisting those who need our help due to the recent devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
According to ABC News, tens of thousands of lives have been lost in the earthquake while millions of people have been displaced from their homes by the natural disaster. Led by Ocean State Job Lot’s Charitable Foundation, the donations we collect will go directly to providing crucial supplies to those individuals in Turkey and Syria who need it.
Donations on Their Way
In February, $1 million in supplies including blankets, coats, cold weather clothing, hygiene products, as well as tents were loaded on trucks from our distribution center in North Kingstown, Rhode Island for donation. In addition to those supplies, Ocean State Job Lot coordinated the movement of 46 pallets of emergency medical supplies to Partners for World Health from UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. But we are not doing it alone. We are partnering together with our customers by asking them to donate at our registers. People also donated on our website.
Our Donation Programs
Together with our valued customers, we strive to make a positive impact in all of the communities we serve each and every day. It’s one way we live our Mission, Vision, and Values. Not only is Ocean State Job Lot able to step up in times of crisis around the globe, but we also continue to provide help to those in need with our annual Buy-Give-Get programs. Our Buy-Give-Get coats program has been able to deliver warm coats to veterans in the Northeast every winter since 2016. Including 50,000 coats delivered in 2022, Job Lot has been able to put 250,000 coats in the hands of veterans. Our new Buy-Give-Get yarn program, started in 2022, is a donation program to help those who knit for people in need. By partnering with our customers, we are able to deliver yarn to organizations, including area hospitals and local religious groups, that knit for veterans, children in need, and people without permanent housing. Additionally, our summertime Buy-Give-Get backpack program has been able to donate over 134,000 backpacks to children in need, including the children of military families. That program is made possible through our partnership with USA Veterans and Military Support Foundation and The New England Patriots Foundation, as well as the help of our generous customers through their in-store and online donations.
Our Three Square Meals program has provided 104 million meals to people in need since its start in 2013. In November 2022, we partnered with RIPTA; iHeart Radio stations B101, 94 HJY, Now 93.3; and We Share Hope for a food drive where donations were collected at all Rhode Island stores. In total, 5,000 pounds of food were collected and donated locally to help families in need.
