Walmart Holds Thanksgiving Food Drive For Employees

A Walmart in Ohio has asked its workers to donate food for other employees who are struggling to afford their own Thanksgiving meals.

Walmart insisted that store assistants who donate have decided to voluntarily assist others whose “unforeseen hardships” have ruined their holidays.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union funded, Our Walmart, a labor group that is pushing for the store to unionize its numerous employees, published various photographs from a Walmart in Canton, Ohio, which was one of the shops that ran this bizarre request.

They have now gone viral across the internet, and feature signs that included, “Please donate food items here so Associates in Need can enjoy Thanksgiving Dinner.” Over half a dozen boxes are shown in the picture.

However, rather than being embarrassed by this revelation, Kory Lundberg, who is a spokesman for Walmart, defended this particular store, which employs around 300 people.

Lundberg explained that it’s been taking place for the past few years, and he remarked, “Quite frankly, a lot of people in that store are frustrated and offended that this is reported in a way besides other folks rallying around each other.”

He then added that around a dozen people profited from this drive last year, while also admitting, “I couldn’t be prouder of people in that store helping in a tough situation.”

Lundberg then revealed some further details on the company’s efforts, commenting, “They set the tub for associates and managers to donate items for associates and for things beyond their control. It shows these associates care for each other.”

He continued, “This isn’t every day run of the mill stuff, maybe a spouse has lost a job or lost a loved one, or maybe a natural disaster has hit.”

Others have been quick to criticise the company, stating that it proves that Walmart pays their employees too little. Most of the store’s employees earn less than $25,000 per year, which means that they often have to use various other government benefit schemes to assist their living.

However, Lundberg continued to defend Walmart, stating that it symbolizes “the importance of the company taking care of its people.”

Lundberg then added, “There’s one lady in the store I talked to last week and she was helped out by this program last year. The situation came because she stopped receiving child support payments. Nobody plans for that. This store rallied around it.”

You can check out another image of the drive below:

What do you think of Walmart’s Thanksgiving Food Drive?