As the COVID-19 pandemic uproots food supply chains and exacerbates need in low-income communities, Dole Food Co. in Westlake Village is trying to fill the gap with fruit cups. The Ventura County company is sending 15,000 cases of packaged, preserved fruit cups to nonprofit World Central Kitchen for distribution to seniors and underserved families throughout California. Another 4,500 cases will go to homeless charity St. Mungo’s in England; 2,100 cases to a disaster relief program set up by the mayor of Jackson, Miss. – one of the largest food deserts in the U.S.; and 4,000 cases to be distributed by Lyft drivers to assisted living facilities in Seattle and Chicago. “Now is the time for companies across all industries, sectors and countries to come together to make the biggest impact for good,” said President Pier Luigi Sigismondi in a statement. Dole’s fruit philanthropy is just one way Valley-area companies are stepping up their support for the health care and nonprofit industries as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Charity campaigns Westfield malls, owned by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, are donating money and supplies to COVID-19 relief efforts under a campaign named “Westfield Cares.” The company’s centers in the L.A. region have teamed up to donate food to the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission, a homeless services nonprofit in Northridge, and games and crafts to the Boys and Girls Club of the San Fernando Valley in Pacoima, which is providing services to essential workers and their families. Westfield has pledged monetary donations of undisclosed amounts to Mid Valley YMCA in Van Nuys and LA Family Housing in North Hollywood. The mall developer is matching donations to American Red Cross to support its free lunch program for students of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Also, some Westfield malls are donating their property for use by COVID-19 responders. In April, Westfield Fashion Square partnered with MEND Urgent Care, Councilman David Ryu, Quest Diagnostics and Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce to host free drive-through coronavirus testing clinics in its parking lots. The Sherman Oaks mall also lent its community rooms to the Red Cross for blood drives to support overwhelmed hospitals, which desperately need blood of all types. Westfield Topanga in Canoga Park has also hosted Red Cross blood drives. “Westfield is a proud member of the Los Angeles community,” said Marcus Reese, executive vice president of public affairs for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, in a statement. “We intend to celebrate the work of our nonprofit partners and encourage others to do what they can to serve those most in need during this difficult time.” In Chatsworth, toy maker MGA Entertainment Inc. is helping the cause by manufacturing hospital equipment. The company has retooled part of its Little Tikes factory in Ohio to make low-cost ventilator masks for both doctors and advanced COVID-19 patients (see story page 3). The masks are part of Operation Pac-Man, MGA’s campaign to gather donations and distribute money and personal protection equipment to hospitals and health care workers. Amgen Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Thousand Oaks biotech Amgen Inc., is distributing $2 million to more than a dozen Los Angeles and Ventura County organizations supporting vulnerable populations. Senior Concerns, a Thousand Oaks nonprofit with a local chapter of Meals on Wheels, an adult day care and pharmacy pick-up service, will receive $100,000, the foundation said in a statement. Other organizations awarded disaster relief grants include Ventura County Rapid Response Fund; Conejo Free Clinic and Simi Valley Free Clinic; Food Share; United Way of Ventura County; Ventura County Community Foundation; and Channel Islands YMCA. Marketing maneuver According to Kristen Walker, marketing professor at California State University – Northridge, crisis-time corporate charity isn’t just about doing good deeds. It’s also an effective marketing technique to keep consumers thinking positively about a brand. “It’s interesting to watch brands decide how they’re going to do it,” Walker told the Business Journal. “How can we rethink the way that we give and somehow incorporate it into where consumers are and how to reach them right now?” She said donation-matching campaigns are popular because of consumer engagement. Companies choose a charity that aligns with their brand, then ask customers to donate money, supplies or other forms of support. She said scavenger hunts, giveaways and “stay at home” reminders on social media are trendy too. “They’re seeing much more user interaction and user-generated content.” Walker said brand visibility is especially important for companies to stay relevant to consumers at a time when revenue has slowed to a trickle. “Typically during an economic crisis, we see marketing budgets cut. That’s pretty true over time. But large brands have learned that’s not necessarily a strategic move in the long run,” Walker said. “If you lose connections with customers during the crisis, they often find other substitute products.” She said smaller companies have a bit of an advantage because their customers tend to be more loyal. “You really see them trying to communicate the message that they’re going through this crisis with you,” she said. For larger companies, that idea may be harder to sell. Walker said corporate giving is sure to remain popular as long as the crisis persists, with companies only getting better at marketing their efforts to consumers at home. “You see more and more companies philanthropically reaching out. It’s almost more noticeable if they don’t.”
