Storm and Tornado Relief Resources in Northwest Arkansas

June 6, 2024

While associates from across the globe gathered in celebration for Walmart's Associates Week, associate volunteers came together to pack care packages with donated food and hygiene items from our suppliers, and wrote notes of encouragement for people impacted in Northwest Arkansas.

June 4, 2024

As many of our neighbors in Northwest Arkansas were without power or displaced from their homes, several Walmart-funded mobile relief units traveled in to provide resources like food, showers, laundry and wifi for the community. Operation BBQ Relief's Mobile Kitchen, Walmart and P&G Mobile Shower Unit and Tide Loads of Hope Laundry Trailer and the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center (ITDRC) wifi hotspot and charging unit were available for the community for several days, including at the Rogers, AR Walmart Neighborhood Market.

May 27, 2024

Just days after the storms hit, Walmart associates came together with suppliers like Tyson as well as community volunteers to distribute food and water.

Severe storms and tornadoes hit our home region of Northwest Arkansas on May 26, impacting associates and neighbors and leaving many with damage to their homes and without power. Since the storms hit, we have been coordinating with local response teams to assess needs, support associates and the community and get urgent donations of food, water and supplies to the hardest hit areas.

In partnership with the Walmart Foundation, we are here to help our community meet immediate needs and recover in the long term, and we’ve committed up to $2 million in support. An initial $1 million from Walmart, Sam’s Club and the Walmart Foundation will go toward donations of food, water, products and grants to organizations providing relief. In addition, throughout June, Walmart will match associate donations through the Spark Good associate platform to organizations providing relief and/or impacted by the storm, up to $1 million.

Here, we’re providing more information on our support for the community. We’ll continue to update this page in the coming days.

Resources Available for the Northwest Arkansas Community

After the storms hit, we brought in several resources for our neighbors without power or access to their homes. Over several days, associates and nonprofit partners helped serve thousands of free meals, provided hundreds of mobile showers and loads of laundry and set up WiFi hotspot and charging stations.

Supporting Organizations with Needs for Volunteers, Donations and Products

We’re grateful to the Walmart and Sam’s Club associates who have supported relief efforts, from delivering truckloads of donated food and water to helping with clean up and cooking and serving thousands of meals each day. Our associates are the most generous people we know, and so many are looking for more ways to help. As such, we’re sharing opportunities for associates to give and volunteer with organizations providing relief or impacted by the storms in Northwest Arkansas through Spark Good. For example, we hosted a volunteer event during Walmart’s Associates Week in Northwest Arkansas on June 6 where associates helped pack thousands of care kits with donated products from our generous suppliers for Samaritan House Community Center, Care Community Center and the Salvation Army. 

Organizations with volunteer needs in the region can create and publish volunteer events for associates through Spark Good, and those with product needs can create a Spark Good Registry on Walmart.com, which allows customers to donate products. Organizations can get started at Walmart.com/nonprofits. Customers who want to support can select an organization to donate to at checkout and fulfill product needs at Walmart.com/sparkgood.