A Commitment to Communities

Costco provides quality merchandise at a good value and makes a positive contribution to the communities where it does business by supporting children, education, health and human services, and disaster relief.

Impact statement

Costco contributes to hundreds of organizations through a variety of charitable programs and grants. The Charitable Contributions Committee meets quarterly to determine which programs to support and how to best meet the needs.

Examples include Communities in Schools, American Indian College Fund, Special Olympics, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Autism Speaks, Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Urban League, Boys and Girls Clubs, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and the Make A Wish Foundation.

Call to action

Costco is a longtime supporter of the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program.

Costco accepts donations through the Red Cross link posted on Costco.com during times of major disasters.

A literary tradition

Costco's Volunteer Reading Program started more than 20 years ago. More than 70% of eligible locations in the U.S., Canada and Australia participate, encompassing over 2,600 volunteers.

Employees volunteer to tutor children who are below grade level at schools, community centers and after-school programs, 30 to 60 minutes per week for 10 to 15 weeks, with materials provided by Costco.

This program provides an opportunity for employees to help thousands of students a year.

Community involvement

The Backpack Program helps make starting school a little easier and a little more fun for many children in need. Schools qualify for backpacks when 50% or more of their students are on the free or reduced-cost meal program.

Since 1993, almost 7 million backpacks have been donated to children across the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Iceland, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, Taiwan and the UK.

Backpacks are distributed to students in one or two grade levels at an elementary school, located near a Costco warehouse.