Deere Gives $1 Million to Habitat for Humanity for Hurricane Recovery Work
Deere & Company will make a $1 million cash donation to support Habitat Hammers Back, a long-term recovery initiative organized by Habitat for Humanity International to help repair and rebuild communities ravaged by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
“Habitat for Humanity has many years of experience helping families build back after disasters, providing longer-term, sustained efforts to help people and communities recover,” said Samuel Allen, chairman and CEO of Deere & Co. “Deere and its employees, dealers, and customers have already and will continue to be involved in these efforts.”
The $1 million commitment to Habitat Hammers Back is another step in the response by Deere and its Foundation to the hurricane disasters, including:
- An annual $500,000 contribution by the John Deere Foundation to the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program that helps the Red Cross pre-position supplies, secure shelters, maintain vehicles and train volunteers, so response can begin immediately.
- Personal employee contributions of more than $100,000 to the Red Cross, local food banks, and other aid organizations – a total matched by the John Deere Foundation.
- Deployment of heavy equipment by John Deere’s business divisions and dealers to help in the recovery efforts.
Habitat’s three-phase disaster response focuses on immediate relief, community stabilization and long-term recovery. The organization is in its immediate response phase – including damage assessments and clean-up – in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean. Deere will encourage and organize individuals and teams of employees to support the recovery efforts through the company’s employee volunteer program.
Habitat has been responding to disasters since 1997 and to date has helped more than 230,000 families in 52 countries through its disaster response work. Following Hurricane Katrina, Habitat organizations along the Gulf Coast built more than 6,000 homes and removed debris and cleaned more than 2,500 homes in preparation for rehabilitation. Habitat also mounted responses to Superstorm Sandy, tornadoes through the South and Midwest, and earthquakes and typhoons overseas.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.