Old Navy to Donate $30M of Clothing to Families Affected by COVID-19

The Bright Side of Retail, a weekly feature launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, features a curated collection of positive stories on how the retail industry is responding to the crisis. Total Retail wishes to inspire its audience during this pandemic by reporting on the positive stories of how retailers and brands are doing good for their employees, customers and communities during this challenging time. Even amidst a global health crisis, there are still reasons for the retail industry to be proud and have hope. Here are some of them:

• Old Navy will donate more than $30 million worth of clothing to U.S. families affected by the COVID-19 crisis, distributing the clothes through nonprofit organizations. The Gap Inc. subsidiary also is giving 50,000 non-medical-grade reusable masks to longtime partner Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Old Navy is working with partner organizations Good360 and Baby2Baby as well as transportation partner Penske Logistics to distribute the apparel.
• Washington Prime Group, a retail REIT, has launched #ScholarSpree, a celebration of high school seniors nationwide. During the next few months the company will be honoring the Class of 2020’s accomplishments with outdoor and digital activities with a focus on everyone’s safety during the coronavirus pandemic. Washington Prime Group has teamed with Vervantis, Inc. and Lewis Sign in order to host #ScholarSpree, a digital Class of 2020 graduation cap design contest with several cash prizes totaling $10,000. All of the entries will be posted on a landing page where friends and family can vote for their favorite design.
• Williams-Sonoma has raised $8 million for No Kid Hungry to date, enough to provide up to 80 million meals for kids in need. Through fundraising efforts ranging from store events, corporate fundraising, Chefs’ Cycle for No Kid Hungry, and the hugely successful celebrity-designed spatula program, Williams-Sonoma has been a leader in helping put an end to hunger across the United States.
• GraduationSource, a manufacturer of graduation caps and gowns, is pleased to announce a partnership with Gowns4Good to connect graduation gowns with healthcare workers in need of personal protective equipment (PPE). Due to this pandemic, millions of graduates won't be able to graduate traditionally this year. Commencement ceremonies have been postponed or canceled to adhere to social distancing guidelines developed by the CDC. In an effort to help Gowns4Good's mission, GraduationSource has donated 1,500 gowns to provide urgently needed alternative PPE to protect our country's medical staff.
• Nike is donating 30,000 pairs of shoes — specifically designed for healthcare workers — to health systems and hospitals in cities across the United States. The Air Zoom Pulse, which was released in November 2019, is the company's "first shoe designed for the healthcare athlete, an everyday hero," Nike said in its announcement. Nike partnered with Good360, a nonprofit specializing in efficient distribution of product donations, to help deliver the shoes to workers in Chicago, Los Angeles, Memphis, and New York City, and within the Veterans Health Administration.