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Giving the shirt off 'our' back in Joplin
October 14, 2011
| General Mills Corporate Communications |
Kids in Joplin, Mo., which was devastated by a tornado last May, headed back to school this fall with support from their community – and companies such as General Mills and Walmart.
School-age residents and families were invited to stop by a Walmart-sponsored event where students could get free school supplies, snacks, eye screenings and physicals.
General Mills, which has a plant in Joplin, joined others including Kraft, Kellogg’s and ConAgra at the August event. The General Mills team gave away samples of Cheerios, Nature Valley, other branded products and gift bags.
Dan Stangler, a General Mills marketing manager, even ended up giving away the shirt off his back.
A teacher told Stangler that Cheerios was her family's favorite cereal. “She complimented me on my Cheerios T-shirt and asked where she could get one,” Stangler recalls. There were no extras, so Stangler gave her his shirt. Fortunately, Stangler’s Walmart counterparts had an extra Walmart shirt for him.
“The people of Joplin have faced a lot of adversity in the wake of the tornado, and they’ve come together as a community and exhibited remarkable resilience,” Stangler says. “It was so nice to play at least a small role in helping Joplin get back to school.”
It's an example of how General Mills employees in nearby Bentonville, Ark., work to support the community through efforts such as Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the United Way, and the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter.
More than half of Joplin’s children were directly affected by the tornado. News reports estimated that about 8,000 children and their families showed up to the event, held at the Missouri Southern State University Athletic Center in Joplin.
When the tornado struck last spring, General Mills pitched in to help with relief efforts immediately, and the General Mills Foundation gave $50,000 to the American Red Cross Southwest Missouri chapter to support urgent relief efforts.
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