Wal-Mart: Friend to the Hungry?

I had grown accustomed to Wal-Mart ads. When I first saw their ads on television I was so repulsed by the slick commercials that cover up their corporate abuses: union busting, low wages, unaffordable/unavailable health insurance, discriminatory hiring practices, and more. But over time I have mellowed in my response to these attempts to improve Wal-Mart’s tainted public image. However, this morning I was disturbed from slumber to the sounds of National Public Radio and a sponsorship message about Wal-Mart’s partnership with America’s Second Harvest.

Instead of hearing coverage of local, state, or world news on my local NPR affiliate, I was jarred by a sponsorship message from Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart’s sponsorship of NPR is no new thing and has been the subject of a web posting by NPR’s ombudsperson. However, this message was different. This morning’s underwriting statement wasn’t about how Wal-Mart is a great place to work and an asset to the communities that are lucky enough to host a store or supercenter. This statement highlighted Wal-Mart’s corporate giving to America’s Second Harvest, a mega food bank that distributes 2 billion pounds of food each year.

When I searched for more info, I found an article from MSN-Money. According to the article, this donation to a national organization is a change of strategy from Wal-Mart’s local giving programs. This new strategy, which coincides with Target’s giving policies, combines local giving with a larger, national contribution. However, while Wal-Mart is the mightier of the two leading retailers, “Target also donates a larger share of its profits to charitable causes – at 3.6 per cent, against Wal-Mart's 2 per cent of the estimated share of profits from its US stores,” according to MSN-Money. So not only is Wal-Mart making smaller charitable contributions than its competitors, its corporate abuses speak louder than the donations that it does make.

So once again, I’m outraged at the world’s largest retailer. I’m outraged because Wal-Mart’s drive for profits costs California taxpayers $20.5 million dollars to pay for medical care for under or uninsured employees. I’m outraged because Wal-Mart commands a sizable share of the food market and its share is only expected to grow. I’m outraged that Wal-Mart’s Supercenters will crowd out local supermarkets and change the landscape of food access. I’m outraged that Wal-Mart could do something to curb hunger in the US by paying their employees a living wage. And mostly, I’m outraged that Wal-Mart continues to spend money on ads (on NPR and other outlets) touting themselves as responsible and charitable. I for one, am not buying it.