St. Louis, Missouri
September 1, 2005
The Monsanto Company has
pledged $1 million to support the Hurricane Katrina relief
efforts focused on helping people with their needs as they begin
to restore and rebuild their homes and communities.
A donation of $750,000 to the National American Red Cross will
help provide critical food and relief aid to people whose homes
were lost or damaged in the storm.
In addition, a donation of $250,000 will be made to United Way
chapters
in Jefferson Parish, Orleans Parish and St.
Charles Parish, where the company has a major manufacturing
facility, to support the communities where Monsanto people
live and work
“It is our
hope that these funds will help
provide the basic necessities to our friends and
neighbors as our communities begin to recover from the
devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina,” said Roy Breaud,
plant manager of Monsanto’s Luling, Louisiana, plant.
“We recognize that it will take many weeks and months to restore
the communities, so we want a portion of our gift to be focused
on some of those longer-term needs.”
“This storm has affected thousands of people and families not
only in the greater New Orleans area, but throughout the
southeast United States," said Deborah Patterson, president of
the Monsanto Fund. "The Monsanto Fund has a tradition of
supporting domestic disaster relief efforts, and we’re proud to
be partnering with the American Red Cross and United Way to help
rebuild the lives of those who were affected."
“We are
extremely grateful to the Monsanto Fund for its generous
contribution to help the people of Louisiana overcome this
horrific natural disaster,” said Brian A. Gallagher, President
and CEO of United Way of America. “United Way’s mission in
Louisiana and around the country is to mobilize the caring power
of communities and under these desperate circumstances, nothing
is more vital to respond to the tremendous needs of the entire
Gulf Coast. This financial contribution from the Monsanto Fund
will allow United Way to provide to Louisiana what we do best –
improving people’s lives for the long term.”
Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that
improve farm productivity and food quality. The Luling facility
employs 670 men and women, most of whom live in the neighboring
river parishes. |