Hanesbrands sending 2,000 tents to Haiti to shelter

05 Feb '10

3 min read

Hanesbrands Inc. announced that it has secured 2,000 tents to donate to employees of its contract sewing operations in Haiti as part of the company's efforts to help feed, clothe, shelter and employ thousands of earthquake victims.
The family-sized tents, purchased for $250,000, are in transit to the port of Miami and are expected to arrive in Haiti late next week for distribution to the families of employees in need in Port-au-Prince.

"Our contractors have done heroic work, supplying food and humanitarian aid to workers, getting their operations functional again and putting employees back to work," said Gerald Evans, Hanesbrands' president, international business and global supply chain. "Many employees have requested tents for their families to seek shelter because their homes have been rendered uninhabitable or they fear returning to damaged homes. With the help of others, we have expedited the process for finding, securing and transporting tents to our contract partners in Haiti."

The company has two primary sewing contractors in Port-au-Prince, each of which had production suspended because of the Jan. 12 earthquake. Virtually all of the 3,200 contractor employees who worked on Hanesbrands T-shirt sewing are back at work.

"We are proud of the efforts of our contract partners and the outpouring of support from Hanesbrands employees around the world, including in the Caribbean basin, Central America and North America," Evans said. "We are committed to getting these Haiti contract employees back on their feet. In addition to ongoing food, shelter and humanitarian aid, one of the most important things we can do is to get employees back to work to provide stability in their lives and a source of income."

Hanesbrands is partnering with Seaboard Marine to ship the tents from Miami to Haiti free of charge. Bear Transportation is trucking the tents to the port of Miami at a reduced rate, and Hanesbrands was able to purchase the tents in an expedited manner from Boundless Network of Austin, Texas, Caravan Canopy International Inc. of Lamirada, Calif., and International E Z Up Inc. of Riverside Calif.

"We appreciate the help of our partners, including the governments of Haiti, the United States and the Dominican Republic as well as the United Nations, in supporting our contract operations," Evans said. "We appreciate the generosity of Seaboard Marine for stepping up to donate the ocean shipping of the tents to the families in need."

Hanesbrands is also sending regular shipments of food, water and other supplies from its Dos Rios fabric textile plant in Bonao, Dominican Republic, where supplies are being staged using company and employee donations from around the world.

In total, Hanesbrands expects to donate more than $3 million in cash, in-kind donations of clothing, and supplies of tents, food and water to help the contract workers and the general population of Haiti. In addition to direct aid, the company is working with humanitarian aid agency CARE and Fashion Delivers Charitable Foundation, Inc.

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