Rapid Response in the Wake of Tragedy is Key to Responsible Corporate Citizenship

As a company with deep roots in New England and a strong presence in Boston, we were deeply affected by the Boston Marathon bombings.  Several of our colleagues were running the race while others were spectators just a few blocks away from the finish line.  We quickly realized the magnitude of the tragedy and its impact on our local community. There was a great sense of urgency within the company to assist in the community’s recovery in any way we could.

In my role as SVP of Community Relations and President of the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, the private foundation of CVS Caremark, I’m responsible for creating and managing philanthropic programs that make a lasting impact on communities nationwide.  We take pride in all that we do in our communities as a responsible corporate citizen and believe serving the community should be a priority for every business.  Through CVS Caremark’s disaster relief efforts, such as our Hurricane Sandy response, we know firsthand an effective and nimble response is required when a community is recovering from tragedy. When Hurricane Sandy devastated many New York and New Jersey communities, CVS Caremark colleagues jumped into action to help. We worked quickly to reopen all stores that were closed due to the storm and in some cases we used generators to power stores located in areas that were coping with lingering power outages. We also set up temporary mobile pharmacies so customers could continue to get important medications they needed to stay healthy and supplies like paper towels, bleach, batteries and snacks. In some cases, our colleagues even delivered prescription medications to stranded customers.  Our philanthropic mission to give back to the communities we serve through impactful community engagement and support is what drives us as a company. We drew upon these previous disaster relief experiences, and they spurred us to move quickly to support our local community in Boston. Click here to read the full blog post.