Disaster Relief
Abt employees know—often up close—the impact of natural disasters in the places we serve. To respond to calls for disaster assistance, Abt makes an initial donation of seed funds, then matches employee donations. Through our employees’ response to disasters like Cyclone Idai in Mozambique, hurricanes in the United States, and the bushfires in Australia, we were able to contribute nearly $55,000 to relief efforts in FY20.
Our Response to Australia’s Bushfires
In late 2019 and early 2020, bushfires in Australia caused far-reaching damage, claiming lives, homes, and wildlife. The company donated $5,000 to the Australian Red Cross to assist with response activities. Our Global Abt employees donated an additional $10,000 to relief groups fighting the fires and dealing with the effects on people and wildlife. Colleagues around the world also arranged morning teas, bake sales, and donations of food and other goods, where appropriate.
In our Brisbane office, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist Michelle Allen even created a Go Fund Me page and shaved her head as part of her fundraising initiative, raising over $1,500 for the wildlife rescue organization WIRES (New South Wales Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service). Together, Abt employees worldwide donated $25,000 to these essential relief efforts.
Supplies That Make a Difference
From socks to backpacks, gift cards to clothes, Abt staff assemble a range of supplies for the most vulnerable in our communities. Donation drives in our U.S. offices in Maryland and Massachusetts have collected clothing to help applicants experiencing homelessness to dress for job interviews; backpacks full of clothing and hygiene items for children in the foster care system; and holiday gifts for children living in poverty. Overall, thousands of dollars and hundreds of individual items were contributed across these donation drives this past year.
Connecting Our Work to Our Communities
Abt is known for our research and technical assistance in the fields of housing affordability and homelessness. Making a difference in the lives of those experiencing homelessness is also reflected in how our staff came together to donate to organizations serving this population across the U.S. this winter.
Assembled over 60 packs of daily living necessities for Mission Atlanta
Collected more than 600 pairs of socks across our Massachusetts, West Virginia, and Maryland offices for local homeless shelters and organizations
Donated 90 gift cards and clothing items to Chicago’s Night Ministry
