Delta employees build brighter holidays for needy kids

Employees built 836 bikes and donated thousands of toys, and the company gave more than $625,000 in support of Marine Toys for Tots

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Delta Air Lines

Dec 16, 2016, 01:25 ET

ATLANTA, Dec. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- All month long, Delta (NYSE: DAL) employees have been busy giving back to less fortunate kids in the communities where they live, work and serve.

In addition to employee-led toy drives throughout the system, which generated thousands of new toys for kids – including 836 bikes built by TechOps alone – Delta serves as the airline partner of the Marine Toys for Tots program. The initiative is in support of Delta's commitment to contributing 1 percent back to the communities we live and serve.

Delta employees build brighter holidays for needy kids

Delta employees presented checks totaling more than $500K to key cities including – Atlanta, Nashville, Tenn.; Boston, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York, Raleigh, N.C.; Seattle, San Jose, Calif., and Seattle – for the purchase of new toys in each local community. Furthermore, Delta contributed an additional $100,000 to their national literacy program to purchase books for kids.

"Delta employees give back all year but are especially generous as the holiday season approaches," said Tad Hutcheson, Managing Director – Community Affairs. "The Delta-Toys for Tots partnership is the perfect intersection of grassroots efforts by our employees and corporate support through Delta's contributions in locations all over the United States."

To close out the airline's annual Investor Day Thursday, Delta presented a $25,000 check to the New York City branch of Toys for Tots, adding to a previous donation of $50,000 in the Big Apple.

The mission of the Marine Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys between October and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children in the communities in which the campaigns are conducted. This fulfills the primary goal of providing a message of hope that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive and patriotic citizens.

Delta's backing of the Marine Toys for Tots program during the holidays supports Community Affairs' efforts to salute armed service members and veterans pillar, while the airline's support of the literacy program reinforces its commitment to education.

About Delta

Delta Air Lines serves nearly 180 million customers each year. In 2016, Delta was named to Fortune's top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the fifth time in six years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented five consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 312 destinations in 54 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 800 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading transatlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK and LaGuardia, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products and services, and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on the Delta News Hub, as well as delta.com, Twitter @DeltaNewsHub, Google.com/+Delta, and Facebook.com/delta.