Matson increased community support to $8.7M in 2023, including $1.7M to Maui disaster relief, community support

Matson contributed a total of $8.7 million in cash and in-kind services to 738 charitable organizations and nonprofit programs in the communities it serves during 2023, up from $5.9 million in 2022. 

Cash contributions, including funds directed by employees through the company’s Matching Gift program, added up to $3.5 million in 2023, while the value of donated services and equipment totaled $5.2 million.

The biggest categories of giving for the year were Food Security programs, with $2.5 million in cash and in-kind support; Disaster Preparedness/Relief programs, with $1.5 million in cash and in-kind support; and Environmental programs with $1.3 million in cash and in-kind support.

As part of its pandemic response plan in 2020, Matson made a multi-year commitment of $5 million in cash and in-kind services to support food bank networks in Hawaiʻi, Alaska and Guam. In 2023, the company committed to providing another $5 million in cash and in-kind services to continue supporting community food bank networks through 2026.

In 2023, Matson contributed $6 million in cash, services and equipment support to organizations in Hawaiʻi, Guam/Micronesia and the South Pacific, with the largest concentration of giving in Maui disaster relief and community support at $1.7 million. The company donated $1.5 million in cash and services to organizations in Alaska, and more than $765,000 in cash donations to community organizations on the US mainland.

Substantial contributions of donated or discounted shipping supported food banks and food security programs in Hawaiʻi and Alaska as well as environmental and recycling programs in Alaska.

In Hawaiʻi, Matson continued its annual support for public schools statewide as the sole corporate sponsor of the State Department of Education’s Beginning Teacher Summer Academies with a contribution of $25,000.

Other large contributions in Hawaiʻi include:

• Hawaiʻi Foodbank – $1,522,000
• Maui Relief – $1,360,000
• Maui Foodbank – $692,000
• Polynesian Voyaging Society – $ 261,000
• American Red Cross, Pacific Region – $138,000
• University of Hawaiʻi Foundation – $83,000

Larger contributions in Alaska include:

• Food Bank of Alaska – $137,000
• Seward Association for the Advancement of Marine Science – $49,000
• Zender Environmental Health and Research Group – $28,000
• Covenant House Alaska – $27,000
• Special Olympics Alaska – $22,000

Larger contributions in Guam and Micronesia include:

• University of Guam Endowment Foundation – $12,000
• Island PRIDE Micronesia – $11,000
• Canvasback Missions – $10,000
• Manelu / Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guam – $10,000

Contributions supporting social equity programs include:

• $675,000 in donations supporting community programs focused on underserved populations
• $100,000 in targeted annual grants supporting 10 social equity focused nonprofit programs in Matson communities
• $87,000 in higher education Matson scholarships aimed at promoting diversity in student leaders pursuing fields of study in maritime and logistics  

“Improving the communities in which we work and live has long been a core value of our company, and I want to commend the employees who serve on our Giving committees for their caring stewardship of this Matson tradition,” said Matt Cox, chairman and CEO. “Our employees are involved in their communities and know best where our limited resources can make the greatest impact.”

Led by employee committees in Hawaiʻi, Alaska and Guam, Matson focuses its community support on local programs providing vital health care and human services; youth development / recreation; disaster preparedness and recovery; education; cultural and environmental preservation; the arts; agriculture and nutrition; and maritime safety.

Additional information on Matson’s community support activities is available in the company’s Sustainability Reports posted online at: https://www.matson.com/sustainability/sustainability-reports.html