News October 25, 2024
The Bright Side: Gildan Donates $200,000 Worth of Apparel in Hurricane Helene Relief Effort
The Counselor Top 40 supplier has nine facilities located in the Carolina region, where the storm had devastating effects. Donations include tees for a concert being headlined by Luke Combs and Eric Church.
Key Takeaways
• Showing Support: Gildan (asi/56842) is donating $200,000 worth of apparel to support Hurricane Helene relief efforts in the Carolinas, including T-shirts for a benefit concert.
• Boots on the Ground: The company has distributed $100,000 in apparel directly to those affected and engaged in grassroots aid efforts post-storm.
• Community Care: Gildan, with nine local facilities, feels a moral obligation to assist during the recovery.
Food, shelter, clothing – Hurricane Helene stripped some residents of the Carolinas of these essentials.
Now, Counselor Top 40 supplier Gildan (asi/56842) says it’s doing its part to help restore these most basic of life’s necessities through the medium it knows best: apparel.
The vertically integrated manufacturer of apparel basics is donating $200,000 worth of garments as part of Hurricane Helene relief efforts that will benefit people in need in the Carolinas.
Part of that includes donating $100,000 worth of T-shirts to Concert for Carolina, an Oct. 26 benefit concert headlined by country music stars Eric Church and Luke Combs that aims to raise funds for five nonprofit organizations working directly with residents in western North Carolina, where Helene hit hardest.
T-shirts will be available for purchase at the event. All additional funds from the sales will directly contribute to relief efforts, Gildan said.
The devastation in parts of NC from #Helene is beyond reckoning. Some #promoproducts pros, like Stephen McFadden, have been stepping up to help.https://t.co/e72GNeoDda
— Chris Ruvo (@ChrisR_ASI) October 1, 2024
The donation of tees to the concert follows an earlier effort by Gildan’s locations in North and South Carolina to donate $100,000 worth of apparel. Do-gooders distributed the apparel to people in need of clothing post-Helene. Like other print and promo pros in the region, Gildan employees engaged in grassroots efforts to provide critical goods like water, diapers and nonperishable food in the aftermath of the storm.
The Concert for Carolina is scheduled for Oct. 26 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. For more information, including how to watch the livestream and donate to recovery efforts, visit www.concertforcarolina.com.
While headquartered in Montreal, Gildan has a big presence in the Carolinas and company leaders felt the firm had a moral obligation to assist with aid.
“Nine of our facilities are located in the region,” said Chuck Ward, president of sales, marketing and distribution. “With our long-standing history of supporting our local communities, it was important for us to assist with the recovery efforts in the aftermath of the hurricane and provide much-needed aid for our neighbors in the Carolinas.”
Based on estimated 2023 North American promotional product revenue of $739.3 million, Gildan ranked fourth on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry.
Learn More About Suppliers’ Charitable Initiatives
The Do-Gooders Directory, part of ASI Media’s Promo for the Planet resource hub, is an extensive and regularly updated list of supplier and distributor giveback programs, corporate social responsibility initiatives and sustainability certifications. Check it out here.