Amazon’s Temporary Donation to Local Non-Profit

A recent article highlights Amazon’s unique combination of business foresight and philanthropic giving. Amazon has purchased a former motel that it eventually plans to use for expansion of its Seattle campus. However, it is not quite ready for the expansion. In the meantime, Amazon has teamed up with a local non-profit, Mary’s Place, to use the space as a temporary homeless shelter.

The shelter will have the capacity to house up to 200 people at a time, helping alleviate the growing homeless crisis plaguing Seattle. At the shelter, residents will be provided with two meals per day, and will be able to work three hours per week to earn credit towards obtaining items at the facility’s store.

Although Amazon plans to reclaim the land near 2018, the short-term impact will certainly benefit the local community. Amazon was going to purchases the property anyway, but with this arrangement, both Amazon and Mary’s Place (as well as the people they serve) reap the benefit. Amazon most likely is receiving tax credit for the temporary donation, while Mary’s Place gets expanded resources they otherwise may not have received, and their philanthropic purpose is spread further throughout the community.

Maybe this type temporary giving can become the norm for businesses planning to expand. Mary’s Place states that many homeless families simply need temporary assistance to get back on their feet after a tough setback. If this is the case, there could be a huge potential benefit from this type of giving. It will be interesting to see if other companies follow Amazon’s expansion strategy of partnering with local non-profits.

David Brennen