Supporting Basic Needs During the Pandemic
2020 was a year like no other. The pandemic was a global crisis that impacted virtually every person on every continent. The demand for essential services — food, shelter, employment — increased dramatically in 2020. In many cases, families had to choose between paying for food or rent; parents struggled to balance caring for their children and keeping their jobs; family members watched their loved ones go to their frontline jobs during a time of great uncertainty; and caregivers lost access to their aging family members in care facilities.
For Hallmark, we committed to supporting our home town Kansas City community, specifically focusing on the basic needs of families in the area. Even with budget reductions, Hallmark distributed more than $3 million in grants and sponsorships to non-profits that provide hunger relief, job support services, shelter for the homeless, personal dignity products, housing and neighborhood support, and other basic needs.
“Hallmark is a caring company and giving back to our community has always been at the core of who we are — as a company and as a corporate citizen in Kansas City,” said Amy Winterscheidt, Hallmark’s community involvement director. “2020 was unlike any year, and it was critical to step up and support Kansas Citians who needed help the most.”
The community responded with gratitude.♦
reStart/homeless shelter:
“Thank you all so much for your gift. The support of Hallmark to reStart and all those we serve for years has been instrumental in restarting people’s lives and we are so grateful and appreciative of you all!”
Stephanie Boyer
reStart
Linwood YMCA/urban core childcare center:
“…we can’t thank you enough for the wonderful gift you are providing for our Linwood YMCA! Thank YOU for allowing us the opportunity to continue to provide those needed services to the community in this time of great need.”
Leo Prieto
Linwood YMCA
Cristo Rey/urban core education:
“Thank you so much for the great news. That is very kind of you. You truly don’t know how much this helps us continue our mission at Cristo Rey.”
John O’Connor
Cristo Rey
Big Brothers Big Sisters/youth mentoring: