Associate Volunteering, Drives, and Donations

Our Associates routinely give back to their communities and play a key role in our charitable programs, demonstrating the true strength of the Ross community.

As described in the “In-Store Fundraising and Customer Donations” section, our Associates are the force that drives the success of the annual in-Store fundraisers for our national community partners, BGCA and First Book.

Even during the ongoing challenges of COVID-19, Ross Associates participated in a variety of fundraisers and volunteering efforts to support local and national charitable organizations.

Examples include:

• Back-to-School Drive: Associates supported our annual Back-to-School Drive to give young students across the country backpacks and school supplies. As part of the Back-to-School Drive and an Intern Service Day, 145 Buying Office, Corporate, and Retail Leader interns designed motivational cards that were placed in the donated new backpacks for students at Educational Alliance’s partnering school, P.S. 64.
• Season of Giving: Each year Ross holds a Season of Giving to support charitable partners through fundraisers that provide Thanksgiving meals and fulfill children’s winter wishes for coats and toys.
  • For Thanksgiving, Associates in our Buying and Corporate Offices raised funds for local food banks to feed those most in need and also for our partner Educational Alliance to provide 200 vouchers for families to purchase turkeys.
  • For winter wishes, Associates in our Corporate Office banded together to give more than 90 new coats and hats to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland. Buying Office Associates donated more than 130 gifts for children through the Good+Foundation and the United Way of Tri-County and more than 200 games and toys for students at Educational Alliance’s partnering school, P.S. 64.

• City Harvest Drive: In New York, Associates participated for the eighth year in a row in a fundraiser to contribute to City Harvest and help keep food on the table for New Yorkers in need. This year, Associates’ donations combined with matches from Ross and City Harvest totaled more than $100,000.
• Virtual Volunteering: Volunteers gifted their time for several virtual activities with our nonprofit partners, including coaching and judging student entrepreneurship ideas.
• Matching Gift Program: Associates support hundreds of causes each year through the Matching Gift Program.

“The generous donations received played a huge part in our youth transitioning back to school. The pandemic has presented so many obstacles and challenges that the Back-to-School items allowed our kids and families to be at peace knowing they had the supplies to pursue academic excellence. The same was definitely true for the holiday season as well. Our families were so thankful for the warm coats and gear. The items were delivered and each child received their gift in their favorite color. Smiles, laughs, and an eagerness to try the items described the experience.”

— Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland