• Mark Jones

FedEx, NASCAR Driver Denny Hamlin & The Salvation Army Welcome Family Home

Event aims to raise awareness of ongoing needs of disaster victims in Tuscaloosa and other parts of U.S. as they work to rebuild their lives

TUSCALOOSA, AL (May 3, 2012) - FedEx Corp., The Salvation Army of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, and NASCAR Driver Denny Hamlin are working together to bring awareness to the ongoing recovery efforts in the Tuscaloosa, Ala., area in the wake of the devastating tornadoes that hit the area in April 2011. Today, the two organizations and Hamlin are welcoming a local family into its newly built home at a special event in Tuscaloosa.

“FedEx is proud to be in Tuscaloosa and contribute to the ongoing disaster recovery efforts,” said Jannette Maye, senior manager, FedEx Station Operations in Tuscaloosa. “It is important to us to shed light on disaster victims’ continuing needs, which can persist for months and years following a natural disaster.”

Benjamin Torres, a father of three children, lost the home he was renting in the April 27, 2011 tornado. The Afghanistan and Iraq war veteran, who served in both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, was out of the state when the storm hit. He frantically returned to Tuscaloosa to find his home destroyed, but joyfully found his children, who were staying with their mother, unharmed.

The Torres family is now receiving a new home built by The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), a not-for-profit humanitarian aid organization. The organization has a goal of building 20 homes in the Tuscaloosa area for victims of last spring’s tornado. The local Salvation Army chapter is providing furniture and appliances for the Torres’ home as well as for many of the other UMCOR-built homes in the area.

As part of the FedEx commitment to supporting disaster preparedness, relief and recovery efforts, the company is donating $10,000 to the local Salvation Army chapter in Tuscaloosa. A portion of this donation will be used to fund the purchase of appliances and furniture for the family.

FedEx has supported The Salvation Army for more than ten years. In 2007, FedEx began an initiative with The Salvation Army to provide funding for the purchase of Disaster Response Units (canteen trucks) in markets across the U.S. and around the world. To date, FedEx has provided funding for 14 Units, at a cost of approximately $100,000 each.

FedEx support enables The Salvation Army and its emergency response personnel to be among the first to reach the site of devastation and immediately begin providing material, physical and emotional comfort for both survivors and first responders. The company’s logistics expertise makes it uniquely qualified to help in quickly responding to a disaster and delivering supplies and aid to those in need.

To aid The Salvation Army in providing continued outreach to victims of disaster, call 1-800-SAL-ARMY; text “storm” to 80888 to make a $10.00 gift on your cell phone bill; or visit donate.salvationarmyusa.org.

About FedEx Corp.

FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $42 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 300,000 team members to remain “absolutely, positively” focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. For more information, visit news.fedex.com.

About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar The Salvation Army spends is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.

FedEx Corp.
Media Relations:
Parul Bajaj, 901-434-7785
Parul.bajaj@fedex.com