[W2CRA] Amazon Smile ending

[Tony Ploski]

Received this in email.

Tony W2HWW

*Dear customer,*

In 2013, we launched AmazonSmile to make it easier for customers to 
support their favorite charities. However, after almost a decade, the 
program has not grown to create the impact that we had originally hoped. 
With so many eligible organizations—more than 1 million globally—our 
ability to have an impact was often spread too thin.

We are writing to let you know that we plan to wind down AmazonSmile by 
February 20, 2023. We will continue to pursue and invest in other areas 
where we’ve seen we can make meaningful change—from building affordable 
housing to providing access to computer science education for students 
in underserved communities to using our logistics infrastructure and 
technology to assist broad communities impacted by natural disasters.

To help charities that have been a part of the AmazonSmile program with 
this transition, we will be providing them with a one-time donation 
equivalent to three months of what they earned in 2022 through the 
program, and they will also be able to accrue additional donations until 
the program officially closes in February. Once AmazonSmile closes, 
charities will still be able to seek support from Amazon customers by 
creating their own wish lists.

As a company, we will continue supporting a wide range of other programs 
that help thousands of charities and communities across the U.S. For 
instance:

  * Housing Equity Fund
    <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/f.html?C=2XBVBJU7E4OIU&K=3VYHUBH1FUKK2&M=urn:rtn:msg:20230119010728df055909eb354c6a9678f2d98520p0na&R=MUXJ9BL87NO&T=C&U=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazonhousingequity.com%2F&H=VMPBOVNCF9RVLE5VZL3S06WRHPKA>:
    We’re investing $2 billion to build and preserve affordable housing
    in our hometown communities. In just two years, we’ve provided
    funding to create more than 14,000 affordable homes—and we expect to
    build at least 6,000 more in the coming months. These units will
    host more than 18,000 moderate- to low-income families, many of them
    with children. In one year alone, our investments have been able to
    increase the affordable housing stock in communities like Bellevue,
    Washington and Arlington, Virginia by at least 20%.
  * Amazon Future Engineer
    <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/f.html?C=2XBVBJU7E4OIU&K=3VYHUBH1FUKK2&M=urn:rtn:msg:20230119010728df055909eb354c6a9678f2d98520p0na&R=V31NMLQUNZA6&T=C&U=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazonfutureengineer.com%2F&H=TDDRI5WKTGAQ3NUAOPNWRIEXJ18A>:
    We’ve funded computer science curriculum for more than 600,000
    students across over 5,000 schools—all in underserved communities.
    We have plans to reach an additional 1 million students this year.
    We’ve also provided immediate assistance to 55,000 students in our
    hometown communities by giving them warm clothes for the winter,
    food, and school supplies.
  * Community Delivery Program
    <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/f.html?C=2XBVBJU7E4OIU&K=3VYHUBH1FUKK2&M=urn:rtn:msg:20230119010728df055909eb354c6a9678f2d98520p0na&R=2L1FGY06NNXJQ&T=C&U=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aboutamazon.com%2Fimpact%2Fhelpforhunger&H=DRYKD7ZZM5PSR6BRQFJYUG1KWDCA>:
    We’ve partnered with food banks in 35 U.S. cities to deliver more
    than 23 million meals, using our logistics infrastructure to help
    families in need access healthy food – and we plan to deliver 12
    million more meals this year alone. In addition to our delivery
    services, we’ve also donated 30 million meals in communities across
    the country.
  * Amazon Disaster Relief
    <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/f.html?C=2XBVBJU7E4OIU&K=3VYHUBH1FUKK2&M=urn:rtn:msg:20230119010728df055909eb354c6a9678f2d98520p0na&R=2AAVTXNZD5ZDO&T=C&U=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aboutamazon.com%2Fimpact%2Fcommunity%2Fdisaster-relief&H=OTF46HVKPWLBEGFRATOADWBAYKQA>:
    We’re using our logistics capabilities, inventory, and cloud
    technology to provide fast aid to communities affected by natural
    disasters. For example, we’ve created a Disaster Relief Hub in
    Atlanta with more than 1 million relief items ready for deployment,
    our Disaster Relief team has responded to more than 95 natural
    disasters, and we’ve donated more than 20 million relief products to
    nonprofits assisting communities on the ground.
  * Community Giving
    <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/f.html?C=2XBVBJU7E4OIU&K=3VYHUBH1FUKK2&M=urn:rtn:msg:20230119010728df055909eb354c6a9678f2d98520p0na&R=3NED22ZG2391&T=C&U=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aboutamazon.com%2Fnews%2Fcommunity%2Famazon-community-impact-report-highlights-2022&H=ZCCD5AR2QGQXUOSMEWRJYWBIQQUA>:
    We support hundreds of local nonprofits doing meaningful work in
    cities where our employees and their families live. For example,
    each year we donate hundreds of millions of dollars to organizations
    working to build stronger communities, from youth sport leagues, to
    local community colleges, to shelters for families experiencing
    homelessness.

We’ll continue working to make a difference in many ways, and our 
long-term commitment to our communities remains the same—we’re 
determined to do every day better for our customers, our employees, and 
the world at large.

Thank you for being an Amazon customer.
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