Walmart and Sam’s Club Join Dolly Parton To Commit Millions to Hurricane Helene Relief

Walmart, Sam’s Club, and the Walmart Foundation have partnered with music icon Dolly Parton to commit millions to relief for those impacted by Hurricane Helene.

According to a company press release, the partnership arose to help those who suffered the effects of the devastating environmental incident. Parton hails from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which is in the eastern part of the state, and she’s supporting communities impacted by the hurricane in Eastern Tennessee.

Initially, Walmart, Sam’s Club, and the Walmart Foundation committed to $6 million but have since upped their donation to $10 million. This money will help toward relief efforts across Hurricane Helene-impacted communities located in Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee.

John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart U.S., said, “These aren’t just places where we have stores. These are communities where we work and live, and our hearts are broken for our friends and neighbors. This is one of the most widespread and destructive storms I’ve seen in my 31 years with Walmart. But I’ve also seen over 31 years that Walmart associates always step up when needed. It’s who we are and who we will continue to be. We’ll support people and communities until they’ve recovered.”

Walmart’s Partnership With Dolly Parton Will Change Lives

According to Walmart’s press release, since Hurricane Helene made landfall, the company has been “working around the clock with local leaders and relief organizations to assess needs and quickly deliver critical aid to nearly 100 communities across the area. Essential resources such as charging stations, food and hot meals, water distributions, showers and laundry are available at many store and club parking lots across Appalachia and the Southeast.”

Additionally, Parton announced a $1 million donation to the Mountain Ways Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) that will provide assistance to Hurricane Helene flood victims.

The entertainer added that all of her businesses in East Tennessee — Dollywood Parks & Resorts, Dolly Parton’s Stampede, and Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show — are combining their efforts along with The Dollywood Foundation. They will match her donation to Mountain Ways with a $1 million contribution of their own.

Parton said in a statement, “These are special people here; they’re my people. I feel like all people are my people, but everyone here grew up in the mountains just like I did so of course I have a close connection to them. I can’t stand to see anyone hurting, so I wanted to do what I could to help after these terrible floods. I hope we can all be a little bit of light in the world for our friends, our neighbors — even strangers — during this dark time they are experiencing.”

Hurricane Helene was the 14^th most powerful storm in recorded U.S. history. The aforementioned states are in need of critical aid, and if you want to help, Walmart and Sam’s Club will match all “customer and member donations at checkout to the American Red Cross 1:1, up to $2.5 million,” through Oct. 13.