Delta Volunteers Build Six Homes with Habitat for Humanity in Puebla, Mexico

More than 50 employees volunteer for Delta's "Force For Global Good" in Mexico

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Mar 05, 2013, 09:00 ET

ATLANTA and MEXICO CITY, March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and Habitat for Humanity International will join forces March 5 - 13, to help build six Habitat homes in Puebla, an historic Spanish colonial city approximately 80 miles east of Mexico City, Mexico as part of Delta's Force for Global Good program to effect positive local and global change. This year's volunteers come from 18 different cities throughout world, including Montreal, Singapore, Toronto and the U.S.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090202/DELTALOGO )

"Delta has been a supporter of Habitat for Humanity for more than 20 years, building alongside our employees, customers and homeowners," said Nicolas Ferri, Delta's vice president - Latin America, Mexico and Caribbean. "I'm very proud that employees continue to build in partnership with families in need of basic shelter within the US and around the world."

"Serving the people and communities where we live and work is a core value expressed by Delta people every day," said Tad Hutcheson, Delta's vice president – Community Affairs. "Our long-standing relationship with Habitat for Humanity has given us the opportunity to provide more than 100 homes around the world."

Delta people will build six new homes working side by side with the families who will live in the new community upon completion. The structures will be built to resist earthquakes, hurricanes and floods and will be primarily made from concrete block which will require minimal ongoing maintenance for the recipient families.

Delta volunteers will be joined by Dan DeRiemer of Roswell, Ga., a Delta SkyMiles Diamond Medallion member who bid 324,500 miles through Delta's SkyMiles Online Auction to win the opportunity to participate in the build with his wife, Laura. The miles will be donated to Habitat for Humanity.

This is Delta's ninth international build with Habitat for Humanity. Delta employees from around the globe use vacation time and pay a portion of their expenses to volunteer on the international builds and help those in need of simple, decent and affordable housing, while also taking the opportunity to learn more about the country and its culture. Delta has been involved in similar projects in Chile, China, Dominican Republic, Ghana, India, South Africa and Thailand.

"These volunteers are more than just a group of people contributing their time to construct a house. They are also helping build a community that learns how teamwork can help them fulfill dreams. Bridges are built between countries and cultures; as well as the satisfaction of being part of a life changing experience," said Zayra Huertas, resource development director for Habitat for Humanity Mexico. "Habitat for Humanity Mexico is proud to facilitate this experience for both the families and volunteers."

"Our Mexico City based employees have displayed a lot of enthusiasm for this project that brings Delta people together for a common cause," said Carlos Enrique Hernandez, Delta's director – Mexico. "This building site is also a great way to demonstrate Delta's core values along with Aeromexico, our alliance partner, as they join us in constructing a new community in Puebla."

Delta has supported Habitat for Humanity for more than 20 years and strengthened the partnership in 2006 by becoming a national partner and unveiling the first 767-300 featuring a unique Habitat for Humanity livery and a Delta Force for Global Good decal. The special livery helps raise awareness of Habitat for Humanity's global work and highlights the efforts of employee participation in Delta's Force For Global Good. Delta's Habitat plane has flown nearly 25,000 hours and approximately 3,000 trips around the earth.

About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International is a global nonprofit Christian housing organization that seeks to put God's love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. Since 1976, Habitat has served more than 500,000 families by welcoming people of all races, religions and nationalities to construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. For more information, to donate or to volunteer, please visit www.habitat.org, or follow us at www.facebook.com/habitat or at www.twitter.com/habitat_org or join Habitat's blog community at www.habitat.org/blog.

About Delta
Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. Delta was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired airline worldwide in its 2013 World's Most Admired Companies airline industry list, topping the list for the second time in three years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 319 destinations in 59 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. Delta is investing more than $3 billion in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on delta.com, Twitter @Delta, Google.com/+Delta and Facebook.com/delta.