General Mills’ corporate jet carried some medical supplies to Haiti last week.
View Larger Struck by the disastrous earthquakes in Haiti, General Mills Inc. provided an unusual delivery to the island country last week.
But instead of sending of Cheerios, senior executives Marc Belton and Chris Shea wrangled a corporate jet from the Golden Valley-based company to help transport more than a ton of medical supplies.
Shortly after the disaster, Belton and Shea, received a note seeking transportation support from Dartmouth College President Jim Yong Kim, a medical doctor who co-founded the nonprofit Partners in Health, which has strong ties to Haiti, according to General Mills.
So, with the blessing of company leaders, the firm’s 8-seat Cessna – normally reserved for corporate travel – was sent to Dartmouth’s campus in Hanover, N.H. where it was packed with antibiotics and surgical equipment.
The plane had been scheduled to fly into the Dominican Republican initially, but a slot opened for it to land Thursday at the Port-au-Prince airport.
The trip also coincided with corporate donations. General Mills donated $250,000 to the Red Cross and CARE International and says it has any ongoing progam to match employee donations for the cause up to $50,000. General Mills also is planning a donation its own food products to the country.
http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2010/01/25/daily33.html
Source: MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL BUSINESS JOURNAL
Date: 2010-01-27