Disaster Relief

Unfortunately 2011 was not free of natural disasters, but CVS Caremark employees and the Charitable Trust gave nearly $450,000 toward disaster relief, easing the heavy burden of tragedy for many.

In March, after a powerful earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross to support relief efforts there. We followed up with another donation of $87,648 to match the same amount our CVS Caremark colleagues personally donated through a dedicated web-based portal we established in response to the disaster.

The following month we announced a donation of $75,000 to the American Red Cross in support of relief efforts in Alabama for communities impacted by tornadoes. In addition, local CVS/pharmacy locations distributed $130,000 in free water, ice and other supplies to residents of those communities. And in Tuscaloosa, which experienced some of the worst tornado damage, CVS/pharmacy brought in a mobile pharmacy trailer to help ensure that residents continued to have access to their prescribed medications.

We donated $75,000 to the American Red Cross following Hurricane Irene in support of relief efforts for impacted communities on the East Coast. In addition, CVS/pharmacy distributed over $30,000 in free water, ice and other supplies to local residents in Manteo, NC and Margaretville, NY – two hard hit communities.

Because the CVS/pharmacy in Margaretville sustained catastrophic water damage, the building had to be torn down. In order to ensure that the community continued to have access to pharmacy services, CVS/pharmacy made daily prescription deliveries to Margaretville from the next-closest CVS, which was approximately 30 miles away. CVS/pharmacy also brought a mobile pharmacy trailer to West Lebanon, NH as a temporary replacement for another store that was closed indefinitely due to water damage.