There was a lot of love being spread over a two-week period on Target’s Facebook page, and five charities are benefiting from that love. From Jan. 31 to Feb. 14, Target ran a Super Love Spender giving campaign, asking people to vote on how five charities would get the $1 million that Target was giving to fund educational programming. Now, after more than 26,000 votes in that two-week period, the results are in.
Fans of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital responded in the greatest numbers, as nearly half the votes went toward the hospital that was founded on the premise that “no child should die in the dawn of life.” That means approximately $490,000 (totals still need to be verified) will go toward the hospital’s “groundbreaking research and lifesaving care, including The St. Jude School Program Presented by Target.”
The other charities that will benefit are:
- United Through Reading Military Program — With 22 percent of the votes, they’ll put the approximately $220,000 toward helping deployed military personnel send DVDs of themselves as they read books for their loved ones back home, keeping them connected to their families.
- Kids In Need Foundation — The 12 percent of the votes they got means the estimated $120,000 will go toward providing school supplies to children and teachers unable to afford their own.
- United Way — Accumulating 9 percent of the votes translates to around $90,000 for helping kids start school prepared, have them reading by the 4th grade and able to graduate high school on time.
- The Salvation Army — Their 8 percent of the votes puts approximately $80,000 into supporting back-to-school educational enrichment.
This is just another way for Target to demonstrate its tremendous commitment to giving, as it gives 5 percent of its income through community grants and programs such as Take Charge of Education, something it’s done since 1946.
Photo courtesy of ginnerobot at Flickr.