US outdoor retail chains come to aid of Hurricane Ida victims

Two of North America’s most famous outdoor retail chains are partnering with an international disaster-response organisation to bring $50,000 in aid and supplies to the Louisiana Gulf region struck by Hurricane Ida.

Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s are donating 3,300 ready-to-eat meals and 15,000 bottles of water and working with Convoy of Hope to distribute the goods in the New Orleans area. Both headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, Bass Pro Shops and Convoy of Hope have been partnering together to provide relief for more than 20 years.

Bass Pro and Cabela’s are also providing direct support for their outfitters impacted by the storm and its aftermath. All full and part-time outfitters at Bass Pro Shops in Gonzales and Denham Springs received recovery grants to assist with food replenishment and supplies for the storm clean-up. Ahead of the storm, the company’s Base Camp headquarters team worked to ensure that the stores had a supply of generators available.

Outfitters with significant home damage or other emergency needs are also eligible for additional support from the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Cares Fund.

Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s play an active role in the communities it serves, including assisting in disaster relief efforts. Those include:

• Bringing aid to individuals stricken by EF-5 tornadoes in Joplin, Mo., in 2011, and in Moore, Okla., in 2013;

• Supporting the relief efforts in the wake of devastating wildfires in Gatlinburg, Tenn., and surrounding sections of the Great Smoky Mountains in 2016;

• Delivering aid to flood-stricken areas in the greater Houston region in 2016;

• Sending more than 80 TRACKER Boats to government agencies and rescue organisations in Houston and other impacted Texas communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017;

• Rallying support that led to more than $5 million for Anglers for the Bahamas, to support relief efforts in the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian.