In recently announcing a $200,000 contribution to three unique organizations directly benefitting active American soldiers, the Diageo Salutes the Troops initiative puts the premium drinks company on the front line of forward-thinking philanthropy aimed at the brave men and women who keep our country safe at home and abroad.
Kathleen Lewis runs a charitable organization called Packages From Home, which she started in 2004 when her son, Christian, was deployed to Iraq as a member of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division. It’s a relatively small, grassroots program that does an inordinately large amount of good. Then, this summer, along came Diageo, the global spirits company with product in more than 180 countries around the world.
“I would call it a David and Goliath story, but in that story, one of them is a bad guy,” says Lewis. “There are no bad guys in this story.”
Diageo, as part of its Diageo Salutes the Troops initiative, recently announced it has contributed $200,000 to three organizations dedicated to supporting our military troops both at home and abroad: iPads for Soldiers, the independent research organization NORC at the University of Chicago, and Lewis’ Packages From Home. This marks the latest effort in Diageo’s ongoing commitment to support veterans and active duty military through brand promotions for military families, employee volunteerism and financial contributions to military nonprofits.
“It’s a huge thing for Diageo to be working with us,” says Lewis. “The Red Crosses and the USO’s of the world, they’re very important and we need them and they’ve been around forever, thank God. But we have this special niche, where we know we’re supposed to be, as does iPads For Soldiers, and we’re so appreciative that a giant like Diageo would look at us and say, ‘Hey, they’re doing a good job,’ and then check us out and come on board with us.”
To Lewis’ point, large corporations donating to equally large charities is, thankfully, a regular occurrence in America, and organizations like the Red Cross and the USO do great work on a grand scale. In this case, however, Diageo is working directly with three groups—in particular Packages From Home and iPads For Soldiers—that present tangible and useful products and goods to soldiers, making for a unique partnership that allows a global conglomerate like Diageo to see, firsthand, the effects of its efforts.
“Diageo Salutes the Troops is really a collective effort from all of our brand teams to give back in a way, shape, and form that is relevant and supportive of the service people and their families, in a way that is a little bit more than they normally get,” explains Marc Strachan, Vice President, Multicultural Marketing, Diageo North America. “Clearly there is a need for all of the wonderful things that are out there, like housing support, education, family structure, etc. Where our programs and our activations go, we try to make sure we provide situations where the families can come together and truly interact. Many of our brands that were actively involved for a period of over 12 months will coordinate efforts and activations that allow the soldiers and their families to experience things they normally wouldn’t, like a night out in New York City to experience some of the best theater in the world; we just sent a number of families down to St. Croix to experience the wonderful adventure of Captain Morgan. And that was really about bringing those families something above and beyond, and allowing them to bond, allowing them an opportunity to reconnect, allowing them to really share some special moments on behalf of those special brands.”
