December 23, 2020
Santa's big bag was fuller this holiday season thanks to company employees who donated hundreds of wish list items for children and seniors through company-sponsored gift drives. Nearly every North American site held a drive to bring Christmas cheer and smiles to those less fortunate in communities near the company's operations. An annual tradition of giving for many of them, this year the need was even greater as the economic and health crises continue due to COVID-19.
"The generosity of our employees is incredible, and it's heartwarming to see the collection of gifts that will help make the holidays happier for so many," said John Quinn, General Manager at El Paso operations, which for nearly a decade has partnered with Child Protective Services on a toy drive.
North America employees donated everything from bikes, dolls and toys to blankets, clothes and personal hygiene products. Some participated by making a monetary contribution instead, which then could be matched by the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation's Matching Gifts program – making their financial gift go even further. Learn more about the program when considering end-of-year donations.
Miami, Morenci and Safford operations again held local drives, and this year partnered with the company's Native American Affairs team to provide gifts to youth and elders in the San Carlos Apache and White Mountain Apache communities. Helping to facilitate the outreach was Tanayia White, Lead Native American Affairs Specialist, who stressed the importance of working directly with the Tribes.
"This is a testament to the strong and direct relationships we have with both the San Carlos Apache and White Mountain Apache Tribes. They welcomed our support and worked with the community to identify the needs of disadvantaged youth and elders on the reservations," White said.
Employees donated nearly 200 gifts alone to the tribes, which was a huge boost for a population historically faced with unemployment rates well above the U.S. national average. "I grew up on the reservation so the statistics, those are my statistics too," White said. "I'm culturally related to both tribes, and enrolled with the San Carlos Apache Tribe, so on a personal level, it has been really rewarding to help facilitate the connection between our sites and my tribal communities."
About Freeport-McMoRan
Freeport-McMoRan operates large, long-lived, geographically diverse assets with significant proven and probable reserves of copper, gold and molybdenum.
FCX is the world’s largest publicly traded copper producer.
www.fcx.com.
