News

Panda Express helping mudslide victims

April 15, 2014

Panda Express is collecting donations in 69 stores in Washington State and nearby locations to assist victims of the Washington State mudslide, which recently devastated the rural town of Oso, in Snohomish County.

Panda will match 100 percent of in-store and corporate donations collected through April 21 at participating locations, according to a company press release. The funds will be distributed to the American Red Cross and the Tzu Chi Foundation, an international non-profit humanitarian organization, to support their direct efforts to help victims of the mudslide.

"As proud members of Snohomish County, our Panda Express family offers our love and prayers to the victims of this tragedy and their families," said Mavis Orr, Panda's regional director of operations for Washington State. "Whether in time of joy or time of struggle, we humbly commit to lending our support whenever our community calls on us."

Giving is one of Panda's core values, inspiring the company to partner with the American Red Cross and the Tzu Chi Foundation to raise much-needed funds for relief efforts in response to disasters such as this Washington State mudslide. Since 2011, Panda has raised a total of $4.7 million in collected and matched donations to aid victims of natural disasters including the tornado that hit Moore, Okla., in 2013; Typhoon Haiyan which hit the Philippines in 2013; and the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, according to the release.

Donations collected and matched by Panda will assist the American Red Cross' efforts to lend disaster victims with support, expertise and equipment, according to the release. Donations sent by Panda to Tzu Chi will support its disaster response center in the Snohomish area, which is delivering supplies and providing relief to the devastated regions.