Key takeaways
- A record-breaking 134,000+ Amazon team members participated in Global Month of Volunteering.
- Volunteers supported 2,500+ organizations across 55 countries.
- Activities included everything from cleaning up parks to preparing sandwiches for people in need.
This year, during our Global Month of Volunteering, more than 134,000 Amazon team members rolled up their sleeves to support their local communities, setting a new company record. From stocking food banks and mentoring students to cleaning beaches and building homes, volunteers transformed their passion into impact.
Teams across 55 countries brought their energy and expertise to support more than 2,500 organizations worldwide. “What makes this initiative truly special is that most events are driven by employees themselves: They identify needs, partner with local nonprofits to organize activities, and rally their teams to help,” said Alice Shobe, global director of Amazon Community Impact. “It’s incredible what we can do when we combine our scale with our employees’ passion for making a difference.”
While Global Month of Volunteering provides a focused opportunity to serve together, our spirit of volunteering doesn’t stop in May. Throughout the year, our employees find creative ways to make a difference where they live and work. Take our recent efforts to assist those impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires, where over 8,000 of our team members from across the U.S. helped unload, sort, and distribute essential relief supplies.
From Seattle to Singapore, here are nine ways in which Amazon volunteers teamed up with community partners to make our Global Month of Volunteering the most impactful yet.
US: Revitalizing Seattle's green spaces
Hundreds of Amazon volunteers in the Puget Sound area took to local parks and neighborhoods to spruce up the communities where we live and work during Global Month of Volunteering. At Cascade Park and Playfield near the Seattle campus, the team joined Seattle Parks Foundation and put their landscaping skills to work removing weeds, picking up litter, and spreading mulch to prepare the park for summer visitors.
“Amazon volunteers make a tremendous impact on our public spaces by helping maintain these valuable community resources,” said Rebecca Bear, president and CEO of Seattle Parks Foundation. “Their hands-on work ensures our parks remain welcoming places where neighbors can gather and children can play. These volunteer efforts demonstrate how companies and employees can meaningfully contribute to the communities where they live and work.”
US: Fighting hunger with fresh groceries in Atlanta
In Atlanta, Georgia, Amazon volunteers partnered with local nonprofit Goodr to deliver nutritious meals to kids when they are out of school in the summer. Goodr, a mission-driven organization, works to reduce food waste and fight hunger by coordinating the recovery and distribution of surplus food to those in need. The team distributed bags of fresh groceries and healthy food items for 125 students and their families.
India: Planting natural filters in Siddheshwar Lake
With their hands in the mud and eyes on the future, volunteers came together at Siddheshwar Lake in Thane to create floating wetlands: innovative platforms that help restore urban lake ecosystems. The team assembled floating platforms and planted Canna indica, a resilient aquatic plant whose extensive root system naturally filters pollutants while providing habitat for aquatic organisms. These engineered wetlands act as nature’s water purification systems, helping restore ecological balance in urban waterways affected by pollution and development. The initiative is part of Amazon’s broader environmental restoration efforts in India, where similar projects in Bengaluru and Hyderabad have engaged thousands of volunteers throughout the year across multiple cities.
Australia: 14,000 sandwiches strong: Fighting student hunger
Amazon Australia teams rolled up their sleeves to tackle childhood hunger, one sandwich at a time. Working alongside charity Eat Up, teams across the country came together for 14 sandwich-making events, crafting over 14,000 sandwiches for kids who would otherwise go hungry at school. “Amazon is our largest corporate sandwich-making partner, and their dedication is an inspiring example of what corporate leadership with heart looks like,” shared Eat Up founder Lyndon Galea. “Supercharging their efforts during their Global Month of Volunteering is helping feed hungry kids in schools across the country while also bringing their teams together in a hands-on, meaningful way.”
Brazil: A fresh start in a São Paulo favela
Amazon volunteers joined forces with Instituto Fazendinhando, a nonprofit transforming lives in São Paulo’s Jardim Colombo favela. Founded by social architect Ester Carro, who grew up in the community, the organization focuses on renovating living spaces and training local residents, particularly women, in construction skills, creating both improved homes and new income opportunities.
In May, 15 Amazon volunteers worked alongside the institute to revitalize a narrow alley connected to a home renovation project. The team painted walls and floors, while local residents, hired through the project, completed the plastering work. Amazon employee and visual artist Lukas Ribeiro added to the transformation by creating a meaningful mural representing the community’s ongoing journey for recognition.
Japan: 200+ blood donors roll up their sleeves in Tokyo
More than 200 team members at the Meguro office in Tokyo participated in the latest Amazon blood-donation drive, organized in partnership with the Japanese Red Cross Society. “Giving blood was a first for me. All the Red Cross staff and Amazon volunteers were very helpful, which made me feel very relaxed,” said one participant. The initiative began in 2022 and gathered 2,000 participants last year across Amazon Japan’s offices, fulfillment centers, and delivery stations.
According to the Red Cross, these annual blood-drive contributions amount to 10% of the necessary blood supply for any given day, making a vital difference during Japan’s ongoing blood shortage since the COVID-19 pandemic. Encouraged by these results, organizers aim to double our impact by the end of this year to 4,000 people.
Poland: Bearing Love and comforting kids in Warsaw
Amazon volunteers in Poland came together to create special gifts for children at the Children’s Memorial Health Institute in Warsaw. On May 28, offices transformed into creative workshops where Amazon team members and their families decorated teddy bears with personal touches and thoughtful messages, each crafted with a specific young patient in mind. The plush toys were delivered to the hospital two days later, bringing smiles to the children’s faces.
This is part of our ongoing community engagement in Poland, where Amazon also supports youth education through initiatives like STEM Kindloteka, a network of 107 educational facilities that have already helped more than 500,000 young Poles access hands-on learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Germany: Garden project unites generations in Munich
Amazon volunteers spent a meaningful morning at the Römerschanz retirement and care home in Munich, where they worked alongside residents to revitalize the facility’s garden. Fourteen team members devoted their time to planting new greenery, restoring garden furniture, and engaging with elderly residents through conversations and games.
“We spent the morning working together, listening, and laughing while creating a more beautiful garden space for the residents,” said Florian Mair, managing director at Amazon Fashion & Sports Europe. “What I’ll remember most are the great conversations with the residents and the realization of how valuable cohesion and commitment are in the community. A wonderful morning full of happy faces, memories, and stories.”
Luxembourg: 22,000 hygiene kits for Europe’s most vulnerable
His Royal Highness Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Minister of Economy Lex Delles joined Amazon volunteers in Luxembourg to help assemble hygiene kits for displaced communities across Europe. Alongside vice president of EU Stores Mariangela Marseglia and local Amazon team members, the two special guests packed essential supplies that will be provided to vulnerable individuals, including refugees and asylum seekers who have fled conflicts in Ukraine, North Africa, and the Middle East.
The initiative provided over 22,000 hygiene kits to those living in temporary accommodations, with a focus on women, children, elderly persons, and individuals with disabilities. Working with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other organizations, the kits are distributed across Spain, Italy, and Romania.
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