We are also thankful for the safety of those who escaped the fires and who continue to show all of us their courage, resiliency and determination in facing such heartbreaking circumstances.
We want to help make this difficult Thanksgiving Day a little better for fire evacuees by making sure everyone has the opportunity to get warm and dry and can enjoy a hot Thanksgiving meal being provided at area Red Cross shelters. An on-call Red Cross shuttle will be available and departing the Chico Walmart parking lot starting today at noon for everyone to go have a Thanksgiving meal indoors. The shuttle service to the Red Cross facilities will continue through the weekend.
We know recovery will take some time and Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are committing an additional $100,000 to help ensure evacuees served at Red Cross shelters continue to receive important shelter services including warm beds, hot showers, and nutritious meals as they wait for more permanent housing. The donation brings Walmart and the Walmart Foundation’s current cash and product donations for wildfire response and recovery to over $600,000.
The Red Cross currently has capacity at various shelters, including beds at indoor shelters, camping space at outdoor shelters and shelters that accept pets. Four of these shelters are located within 2 miles of the Chico Walmart. To help everyone take advantage of this opportunity to relocate to a Red Cross indoor or outdoor shelter facility while they await more permanent housing, the Red Cross will also transport all of their personal belongings to the shelter via flatbed truck.
The Chico Walmart will be closing at noon today and will reopen Friday, November 23 at 6 am. During this time, many of our Chico store associates will be volunteering at local shelters helping serve Thanksgiving meals and bringing some much needed cheer and comfort to fire evacuees.
