Stamford, CT - AmeriCares President and CEO Curt Welling presented Nestle Waters North America employees with an award on Nov. 15, 2011 for donating over 1 million bottles of water to disaster survivors across the U.S., including families affected by major flooding, wildfires and one of the worst tornado seasons on record.
Nestle Waters North America President and CEO Kim Jeffery accepted the award during a presentation at the company’s Stamford, Conn. headquarters – a recently renovated facility that has won the prestigious LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. This past year alone, Nestle donated 38 truckloads carrying 1.3 million bottles of Poland Spring, Deer Park, Ozarka and Nestle Pure Life water to disaster survivors in 12 states.
“Nestle never turns us down when our fellow Americans are in need. We know because we’ve called on them 38 times this year, and they have delivered every time,” said Welling, whose disaster response and humanitarian aid organization is based in the same city. “It’s a unique partnership in that Nestle gives us access to the product in their distribution centers around the country, and often ships it directly to food pantries and shelters so that the people who need it most get it as quickly as possible.”
Since Nestle Waters and AmeriCares began partnering in 2004, the beverage company has donated over 6 million bottles of water to people in need in the U.S. and Haiti, where the relief organization delivered Nestle bottled water to survivors of the 2010 earthquake.
Nestle Waters employees might be surprised to learn they have donated so much bottled water when they see the plaque from AmeriCares hanging in the lobby because the company has not trumpeted its charitable donations, Jeffery said.
“While I am happy to accept the award on behalf of our employees, it’s really organizations like AmeriCares that deserve the credit,” Jeffery said. “They are the first responders when there is an emergency and people need help.”
