NORTH KINGSTOWN – Ocean State Job Lot contributed $25 million in philanthropic efforts in 2020 across its 142-community-footprint for various causes, including assisting those impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Of that amount, approximately $14.3 million – or 57% of Ocean State Job Lot Charitable Foundation’s total annual giving – was given to causes within Rhode Island and Massachusetts, Job Lot spokesperson Spencer Gossy told Providence Business News Wednesday.
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OSJL said its contributions were directed toward feeding the hungry, caring for children, advancing health care, supporting the arts, promoting learning and for new programs specific to the pandemic. Job Lot said it donated $250,000 to a fund dedicated to acquiring supplies for first responders and health care workers, as well as sourcing gloves, masks, disinfectants, sanitizers, eye protection and other such supplies from vendors when those supplies were of limited supply.
Job Lot’s partnership with customers also resulted in the retailer distributing $15 million in personal protective equipment to schools, hospitals, and police and fire departments throughout New England and the Northeast, Job Lot said. Job Lot also said that it launched in 2020 a “Mask Fabric For Free” campaign that provided customers fabric necessary to make 1.8 million homemade masks.
The retailer’s “Three Square Meals” hunger-relief program donated 14.5 million meals to families in need throughout last year, Job Lot said, along with providing 20,000 restaurant-cooked meals to frontline workers.
“There’s nothing to be said about 2020 that hasn’t been said before, but as a company, we were very fortunate that our strengths in sourcing products and purchasing them at deep discounts allowed us to support our communities,” said Ocean State Job Lot Charitable Foundation Executive Director David Sarlitto in a statement. “We are incredibly proud of our ability to partner with our customers and maximize our resources to provide aid – whether it be PPE or food or anything in between – to those who have needed it the most throughout the year.”
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
