Wal-Mart

BENTONVILLE, Ark., April 2, 2009, Associated Press — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and its charitable foundations gave $423 million in cash and in-kind gifts for the company's 2009 fiscal year, a 25 percent increase from a year ago.

WASHINGTON, April 1, 2009 — The Wal-Mart Foundation has awarded $5 million to the American Red Cross to strengthen disaster preparedness in 128 communities in 44 states and three U.S. territories.

Often the last resort for those in need, the Salvation Army in some cities is experiencing a budget crunch of its own despite a sharp increase in donations.

The recession is prompting the leading hunger relief charity in the United States to speed up its current development plan by two years to meet demand for its services.

Children's Miracle Network, an international non-profit that raises funds for 170 children's hospitals in the United States, today announced support from Walmart and Sam's Club for Champions Across America.

A new, free service allows nonprofit organizations to set up online wish lists made up of items that they need, which individuals then can purchase for them as donations.

The program is run by DollarDays International, an Internet-based product wholesaler that offers more than 33,000 goods (ranging from clothing to personal-care products to office supplies) mostly to independent and mom-and-pop retail stores. Marc Joseph, DollarDays CEO and author of the book “The Secrets of Retailing, Or: How to Beat Wal-Mart!,” says DollarDays’ second- largest customer base is nonprofit organizations that buy products and supplies to take advantage of the site’s closeout and wholesale prices.