The U.S. government and the companies that make up the +Unidos Group mobilized and provided assistance to the victims of floods in the Brazilian States of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais. Reports indicate that only in the mountain region of Rio de Janeiro there are over 800 deaths and 20 thousand people have made homeless because of the rains.

The U.S Agency for International Development (USAID), through its Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), provided US$100,000 to the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), for the purchase of personal hygiene products and clothes, given that the Brazilian government and state governments are already providing food and water.

Under USAID’s coordination, companies from the +Unidos Group have mobilized to send aid. So far, 40 companies are already implementing several initiatives to assist the victims. The +Unidos Group, supported by the U.S. Embassy and USAID in Brazil, brings together more than 100 U.S. companies operating in Brazil around corporate social responsibility.

See below how these companies are providing assistance and how you can contribute.

3M – Donated different 3M products such as: brooms, squeegees, heavy cleaning brushes, tapes, and 1,000 facial masks for the Red Cross in Rio de Janeiro. It also donated 3M tapes to the Red Cross in São Paulo. Moreover, it organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations of financial resources. For each one Brazilian Real donated, the company will provide a matching donation of two.

Abbott – Is analyzing the possibility of donating Abbott medicine and nutritional supplements to Rio de Janeiro. It also organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations to Rio de Janeiro.

Accenture – Will donate clothes, food and hygiene products to São Paulo.

BDO – Organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations to the cities of Teresópolis and Nova Friburgo through Banco do Brasil. In addition, the company will make a donation of 30% of the amount collected in the campaign.

Burger King – Established donation collection points at 40 of its stores, and will deliver the donations to Rio de Janeiro.

Cargill - Organized a campaign to encourage voluntary donations of financial and non-financial resources from its employees, clients and business partners. The donations will be given to the Red Cross for the city of Teresópolis. Over 16 tons of food, hygiene products and other items were collected. 

Caterpillar – Through Caterpillar Foundation, it donated US$100,000 to Rio de Janeiro. It also donated 60 refrigerators and 35 stoves to the families that lost all their belongings because of Piracicaba River flooding in São Paulo. Moreover, it is participating in the Civil Defense Office-supported campaign SOS Enchente - by encouraging its employees to donate clothes, cleaning materials, and food to the city of São Paulo. All unused items will be donated to Rio de Janeiro.

Citi – Organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations of financial resources. In addition, the company will make a donation to match the amount collected. The R$60,000 donation will be given to the Red Cross and donated to Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais.

Chevron – Donated R$51,000 and 35 boxes with food, water, hygiene and cleaning products, clothes and milk. It also donated 75 basic baskets and 3 boxes of non-perishable food. The donations were given to the Federation of Industries of Rio de Janeiro (Firjan).

Cummins - Organized an internal campaign to encourage voluntary donations of financial and non-financial resources from its employees for the Red Cross in Sao Paulo, the NGO Care Brazil and the NGO World Vision. It will also make a US$50,000 donation to the reconstruction of the City of Rio de Janeiro. It will possibly make a donation of an “SOS Enchente” kit.

Dell - Organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations of financial and non-financial resources to the Red Cross and the Civil Defense Offices from the cities where the company has offices: Porto Alegre, Eldorado do Sul, São Paulo and Campinas.

Deloitte - Donated financial resources and organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations of financial resources to the Rio de Janeiro State Fund of Social Assistance. Established in its Rio de Janeiro office a point of collection of mineral water, milk powder, non-perishable food, disposable diapers, blankets, clothes, hygiene kits and sanitary water. It is also encouraging the general public to donate blood to the HemoRio office.  

Dow - Organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations to Rio de Janeiro. The total collected includes R$14,000, given to Care Brasil, 14 baskets of hygiene and cleaning materials, and 500 kilos of donations. Moreover, it donated, trough Dow Foundation, R$136,000 to Caritas for the recovery of the economy of Rio de Janeiro.

DuPont – Donated 60 kilograms of Sontara - specialty cleaning textile sheets, manufactured by DuPont. It also organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations of food and hygiene and cleaning products.  A total of 290 kilograms of food and cleaning and hygiene products were collected. The donations were given to the Red Cross for Rio de Janeiro. 

ExxonMobil – Organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees from the São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba offices to make voluntary donations of food and cleaning products to the Red Cross in Rio de Janeiro. So far, the items donated are equivalent to the total of R$18,000. It also donated USD25,000  to the Red Cross in Rio de Janeiro.

FedEx - Organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations of water, non-perishable food, mattress, blankets, and hygiene and cleaning products. In addition to that, it will transport the donations collected in its six points of collection established in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, and Santa Catarina. As a result of the campaign, 40 tons of items were transported. The company is also transporting donations collected by other +Unidos companies.

Ford – Organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees and partners to make voluntary donations. 34.5 tons of clothes, shoes, food, and cleaning and hygiene products were collected. The donations were given to the Civil Defense Offices of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, through a partnership with FedEx. 

GE – Organized and internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations of financial resources, mineral water, hygiene and cleaning products to Rio de Janeiro, through the Red Cross. In addition, GE Foundation will make a matching donation for every dollar collected in the campaign. The company will also make matching donations for every item collected in the campaign.

GM – Organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations of hygiene and cleaning products and water. Over 16 tons were collected and given to the NGO Red Cross in Rio de Janeiro and to the Civil Defense Office of Mauá, SP.

Goodyear - Organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations. Several unities of foods, hygiene and cleaning products and clothes were collected and transported to Rio de Janeiro through a partnership with FedEx.

HP – Through HP Foundation, will donate US$100,000 to the NGO Save the Children for Rio de Janeiro. It also organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations of money, hygiene products, powder milk, mineral water, disposable diapers, candles and food. The financial resources will be donated to the City Hall of Teresópolis and the NGO Aldeias Infantis.

Intel – organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations of financial and non-financial resources. In addition, Intel Foundation will make matching donation in the same amount collected in the campaign.

Kraft Foods – Donated Kraft products (non-perishable food) to Rio de Janeiro and Piracibaca, SP. Through the Kraft Foundation, donated US$75,000 to the NGO Care Brasil for Rio de Janeiro. The company also purchased 50 stoves for flood victims in the city of Piracicaba, SP. Furthermore, it organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations of food, clothes, shoes and financial resources to Care Brasil.

KPMG - Organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations. Several unities of food, hygiene products, clothes, and financial resources were collected and given to the Red Cross in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

Levi Strauss (Not a +Unidos company) – Donated 30,000 (thirty thousand dollars) to the NGO Care Brazil in benefit of Rio de Janeiro.

Microsoft - Organized an internal campaign in Brazil and for Brazilians in the U.S. to support a World Vision project to create friendly places for the children in the affected regions. The idea is to have a transition space where children will have a minimum routine with socio educative activities to minimize the trauma caused by the disaster. It also organized a campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations of financial and non-financial resources. So far, R$12,709 were donated.

Monsanto – Through the Monsanto Fund, donated R$20,000 to the NGO Viva Rio. It also donated R$20,000 to the NGO CETEAD. The matching funds program, where the company donates R$1,5 to every 1 real donated by the employees, collected R$25,000. Moreover, the company will donate 22 tons of basic baskets, milk, clothes, shoes, disposable diapers and cleaning materials that will be transported to Rio de Janeiro by FedEx. The office of São José dos Campos has collected 570 kilos that will be donated to the surrounding communities.

Motorola – Will donate US$25,000 to the NGO Care. It organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations of financial resources. The company will make matching donations for up to US$10.000. It will also make donations of Motorola communication radios to the Red Cross in Rio de Janeiro.

MSD - Donated 150k liters of mineral water and 20,850 units of food for immediate consumption to Rio de Janeiro, through the Red Cross. In addition, it donated US$25,000 to the World Vision for initiatives focused on child care, protection, and reconstruction. Moreover, it organized an internal campaign to encourage its 2,000 employees to make voluntary donations to the City Hall of Sousas, SP, where the company has a plant. So far, over 3,000 items were collected.

Nike – Launched a campaign in a partnership with NGO Care to encourage all employees worldwide to make financial donations - which will be matched by the company. It also organized an internal campaign to collect donations that will be given to the Red Cross.

Nielsen – Donated R$20,000 to the NGO Red Cross in Rio de Janeiro. Organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations of hygiene and cleaning products, that will be transported to Rio de Janeiro by FedEx.

Pfizer – Donated financial resources to the NGO Care Brasil for Rio de Janeiro and organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations of financial resources, food, and hygiene and cleaning products to Care Brasil and the Red Cross in São Paulo.

P&G – Organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations. It also donated P&G’s products such as: 2,335 boxes of batteries, 2,291 boxes of razors, 2,454 boxes of shampoo and conditioner, 3,300 boxes or powder soap, 1,543 boxes of deodorant, 2,000 boxes of dental cream, 1,824 boxes of foaming, 5735 boxes of tooth brush, 4,145 boxes of sanitary napkins, and 925 boxes of disposable diapers. 

Prudential – Organized an internal campaign to encourage voluntary donations from its employees.

PwC – Organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations of financial resources that will be used for the purchase of donations. The company will make a matching donation to the amount collected. Its Rio de Janeiro office organized an internal campaign to encourage employees to make voluntary donations of food, clothes, hygiene products, and blood.

Rigesa - Organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations of financial and non-financial resources. The money collected will be given to the City Hall of Teresópolis, and the materials to the Civil Defense Office of the State of Rio de Janeiro. Several items were donated.

Visa – Donated US$50,000 to the Brazilian Red Cross for the rescue of victims, support to the families and reconstruction of the affected Brazilian States. It also organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations of financial and non-financial resources. In addition, the company will make a matching donation in the same amount collected in the campaign. The funds will be given to the Red Cross. The company also organized an internal campaign to collect clothes for the victims of the city of Carvalhos, in Minas Gerais. So far, 130 clothes, 24 pairs of shoes, towels, sheets and blankets have been collected.

Walmart - Donated 26 tons of food, and hygiene and cleaning materials to Rio de Janeiro. As part of its matching funds program donated R$25,000 (matching the R$25.000 donation from its employees) to support 10 of its employees who had their houses affected by the rains. Established points of collection of donations in its stores in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba. So far, 80 tons have been dropped off at their stores. It will monitor de donations of +Unidos companies to the NGO Care Brasil, who will work mainly with women, pregnant women and children.

Whirpool – Donated 50 tons of water, food, hygiene and cleaning materials to Central Solidária de Joinville. I also organized an internal campaign to encourage its employees to make voluntary donations. The items collected in the offices in Manaus and Joinville were donated to the victims in Rio de Janeiro, and those collected in Rio Claro and São Paulo were donated to the victims in São Paulo. The company is currently receiving donations for the victims in Santa Catarina.