Walgreens increases efforts to assist communities impacted by Hurricane Sandy

DEERFIELD, Ill. — To help victims of Hurricane Sandy, customers shopping this week at any Walgreens or Duane Reade store in the United States will have the opportunity to make donations to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund in increments of $1, $2, $5 or $10, Walgreens announced Monday. The fundraising initiative is in addition to Walgreens' announcement last week that it would make a $250,000 contribution to the same fund.

As the company’s recovery effort continues, Walgreens has now reopened all but 13 of the 750 stores that experienced service interruptions at the peak of the storm. 

In response to needs immediately after the storm, last week Walgreens delivered four semi-trailer truckloads of bottled water, including three to the American Red Cross and one to the City of New York. Two additional truckloads are on the way, Walgreens added. The retail pharmacy operator also donated merchandise and conducted food drives in response to local community requests.

And this week, Walgreens is diverting its Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with National Urban League bus to New York to deliver blankets, water and other needed services to hard hit communities. On Wednesday, the bus will begin making visits to Walgreens and Duane Reade locations in Rockaway, followed by Brooklyn and Staten Island. The Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with National Urban League provides free health resources to residents in urban and minority communities across the country with high rates of preventable disease.

Walgreens pharmacists have also provided direct assistance to New York City, Hoboken and other emergency response outposts to help patients find medicine they need. The company also is in the process of setting up four temporary pharmacies at stores that were heavily damaged by the storm and won’t re-open in the near term.