Working with Community Partners, Goldman Sachs Employees Volunteer to Support Hurricane Relief Efforts

21 DEC 2017

In the wake of devastation following the natural disasters this fall, Goldman Sachs, through the firm's Office of Corporate Engagement and over 1,000 employees who volunteered, galvanized to lend support to those affected.

Through a network of nonprofits and local organizations to assist with logistics and expertise, our people were able to pack and deliver over 260,000 meals, 6,000 personal hygiene kits and over six school buses full of donated items and clothing. The firm’s donor-advised fund, Goldman Sachs Gives, committed over $2 million to community partners focused on relief and recovery efforts.

As of December 15th, more than 1,000 employees volunteered their time through projects hosted by the firm’s Community TeamWorks initiative and employee Affinity Networks. Here we highlight how each office worked closely with our community partners, whose valuable assistance we salute:

New York/Jersey City

Partnering with The Pack Shack, a nonprofit hunger relief organization, more than 900 Goldman Sachs employees packed over 200,000 meals for families in Puerto Rico impacted by Hurricane Maria.  Convoy of Hope, a nonprofit organization that facilitates the delivery of food and emergency supplies to communities in need around the world, transported the packages to Puerto Rico.

Additionally, 6,000 hygiene kits for children and families impacted by Hurricane Maria were packed by 150 employees across the firm’s Affinity Networks in New York. Convoy of Hope transported the kits to Puerto Rico, along with Portlight Strategies, an organization that facilitates post-disaster relief work and Go-Gogo! Pediatric Cancer Foundation that distributed the kits to children at the Pediatric Cancer Foundation and communities in the area.


Dallas/Irving

The partnership with The Pack Shack extended to our Dallas/Irving office, where meals were prepared for local families impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Shortly after Harvey made landfall, Goldman Sachs employees, joined by The Mission Continues and The Wounded Warrior Project, packed over 31,000 meals. Meals were distributed to those in need by The North Texas Food Bank.

Houston

Following Hurricane Harvey, employees from the Houston office worked closely with public schools to support the local community. At YES Prep, volunteers sorted and categorized donated items for distribution to the school’s students and families. Similarly, in partnership with KIPP Houston Public Schools, donated items were organized and packed into six school buses for delivery to local families.

Goldman Sachs employees also worked with The Houston Food Bank, dedicated to leading the fight against hunger, to help with Harvey recovery efforts. Individuals from the Houston office helped with food preparation.

Miami

The Pack Shack team facilitated a project in Miami where over 28,000 meals were packed. Like the New York and Jersey City projects, Convoy of Hope delivered the meals to families impacted by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. 

In support of the local community recovering from Hurricane Irma, individuals from the Miami office also partnered with the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science to restore the Key Biscayne shoreline.


 

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