Walmart is defending a holiday food drive for needy store associates at one of its Ohio stores, saying the workers are voluntarily helping colleagues who are experiencing “unforeseen hardships.”
In a photo that is being distributed on the Internet by Our Walmart, a labor group that receives funding from United Food and Commercial Workers International Union that is pushing Walmart to unionize its employees, several large plastic bins behind the scenes of a store in Canton, Ohio, are shown with signs that read: “Please donate food items here so Associates in Need can enjoy Thanksgiving Dinner.”
Kory Lundberg, a spokesman for Walmart, said this store of about 300 employees has been hosting a holiday food drive for a few years.
“Quite frankly, a lot of people in that store are frustrated and offended that this is reported in a way besides other folks rallying around each other,” Lundberg said.
Last year, he said there were about 12 people who benefited from the program.
“I couldn’t be prouder of people in that store helping in a tough situation,” he said.
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