Retail Benefits the Community

Macy's Inc. believes that by giving back to the community, their contributions, leadership and volunteer efforts help create stronger, healthier places to work and live. In 2008, contributions from the company, employees along with the Macy's foundation had totaled more than $76.6 million.
Macy's and Bloomingdale's are proud to sponsor events that support their philanthropic focus areas and benefits communities across the country. The company's focus areas include women's issues, arts and culture, education, HIV/AIDS and the environment.
Macy's held its third annual "Shop For A Cause" event in Macy's department stores nationwide which raised more than $9.1 million in just one day. The event is designed to raise awareness and support for local and regional nonprofit organizations across the United States.
2008 had marked Macy's fifth year as a national sponsor for Go Red For Women, the American Heart Association campaign for prevention and awareness of heart disease for women.
This year, Macy's teamed up with Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger relief organization. They created the Come Together campaign which started on September 13th and ended on October 21st. The company's goal was to donate 10 million meals to those in need, it was achieved!
All three events are just examples of what Macy's Inc. does to benefit the community. It is all good public relations for the company especially because they pride themselves on being an "iconic American retailing brand" which has been around for 150 years.
Macy's does a lot for the community, but Bloomingdale's is just as much a part of Macy's Inc. Bloomingdale's does not seem to do as much for the community as Macy's does. As a high end department store, it would be great if they found ways to benefit local communities as it would remove the negative connotations that come with being an expensive, luxury retail store.

Fashionable Compassion for HIV/AIDS Research

For the past 27 years, the Macy's Passport Fashion Show features a unique blend of fashion, live theater and fine food all while raising awareness for HIV and AIDS.
This event all began in 1982 as a fashion show in an employee cafeteria and has since become one of the largest and longest-running HIV/AIDS events of its kind.
Macy's has used Facebook and Twitter to publicize the event that was held in San Francisco on September 16-17 and Los Angeles on September 24-25 of this year. Both are great forms of social media which will reach the demographic which is most affected by HIV and AIDS.
On the east coast, we are least notified about the event through forms of media outside of Facebook and Twitter, since the money raised goes to the local HIV/AIDS organizations in San Francisco and LA; press releases were only featured in west coast newspapers.
Although we are on the east coast, we have the ability to donate to the Passport Fashion Show since there is a link on the Macy's website. The link regarding the Passport Fashion not only features the ability to donate to the event, it gives a brief history, a list of the event's sponsors and beneficiaries.
Reading the updates on Twitter, one becomes aware of how excited people are about the fashion show, it is an event that many look forward to every year. Even though we don't hear much about this incredible event on the east coast, we know Macy's has done a great job to promote it since to date the Passport Fashion Show has raised 28 million dollars to HIV/AIDS charities and research projects.