MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Amazon is dedicated to supporting the communities where its employees live and work, which is why the company is donating more than 1.3 million units of cleaning supplies to Shelby County Schools (SCS), including sanitizing wipes, hand sanitizer, and gloves. According to direction from the CDC, cleaning and disinfection is one of the key mitigation strategies to re-opening schools.
“Many of our employees have children enrolled in Shelby County Schools,” said Tyler Fagan, General Manager of Amazon’s Memphis fulfillment center. “That’s why we’re honored to make this donation. Our hope is that it will support the health and well-being of the tens of thousands of students and teachers in the district.”
With nearly 160 district-managed schools in SCS, the largest school system in Tennessee, it’s no small feat for the district to guarantee it has enough cleaning supplies to ensure the safety of its teachers and students. Shelby County Schools uses thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes every month.
“We’re inspired by Amazon’s continuous generosity toward the future of Shelby County Schools,” said Superintendent Dr. Joris M. Ray. “We’re grateful for such partners who support our children and help fulfill the need to keep PPE stocked for the health and safety of our employees and students.”
Teachers returned to school at the beginning of March for the first time in almost a year. Students were given the option to attend in-person or continue virtual learning. Roughly 35% of students have returned for in-person learning, making classroom cleanliness a top priority for the district. SCS plans to distribute this donation to all district-managed schools. Amazon has made similar donations throughout the country.
“The extensive donations by Amazon shows their willingness to go above and beyond to support our schools,” said SCS Board Chair Miska Clay Bibbs. “We extend our heartfelt thanks for their work to give back to the community.”
