In The Community

In The Community

Oakland, CA Matson staff volunteer at Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano.

Supporting the communities in which we do business is a long-standing part of Matson’s corporate culture.  Employees throughout our company take pride in participating in activities and events that help benefit their schools, hospitals, parks, social service agencies, sport teams, neighbors, colleagues and customers.

Employee Time and Talent

Two of our most enduring affiliations are with the Special Olympics and Easter Seals.  In Hawaii, every year since 1988, Matson employees have volunteered to assist at the Summer Games.  Similarly, Matson's support for Easter Seals Hawaii's annual Christmas parties, for which employees 'suit up' to pass out presents as Santa or Mrs. Claus, dates back to 1962.

Matson volunteers wearing blue Matson hats and yellow Nourish Ohana t-shirts pose for a group picture.
Hawaii Foodbank annual campaign

In our many communities, Matson employees regularly walk, run, bike, ski, surf, golf, cook, clean, dine, dance, organize, donate to or simply show up in support of events that benefit charitable causes.

Popular events include the American Heart Association's Heart & Stroke Walks; the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life; the American Diabetes Association's Walk to Stop Diabetes; and the American Federation for Suicide Prevention's Out of the Darkness Walk.

The Jarek Family at the 2017 Coastal Cleanup in the Sand Island State Park which fronts Honolulu Harbor.

Matson employees in coastal, bay, lakeside or riverside communities support the Ocean Conservancy's Annual International Coastal Cleanup Day when they and their families come out to clean up. Each spring, Alaska employees help with citywide cleanups in Kodiak, Unalaska, and Anchorage.

Recent employee-led efforts in Phoenix had volunteers repairing homes and fundraising for bottled water to hydrate the area's homeless during an ongoing drought. In Oakland, employees volunteer to pack donation boxes for the Foodbank of Contra Costa and Solano.  And on Kauai, employees donate cash, clothing and canned goods for a family center in Waimea, on the rural West side of the island.

Employees Contribute to their Communities

Matson employees move bags of ice from a pallet into ice chests with Matson reefer and containers in the background.
Patrick Bulaon (foreground) and Renee Ibanez, (orange vest) oversee ice distribution.

There are times, when the need is far away, that the best option is to send money.  Our employees have donated generously and Matson has matched their personal donations to disaster relief on Maui (Wildfires, 2023); in Guam (Typhoon Mawar, 2023); in Tonga (Hunga-Tonga-Hunga underwater volcano and tidal wave, 2022); in Saipan and Tinian (Super Typhoon Yutu, 2018); in California (Wildfires 2018 and 2020); in Texas (Hurricane Harvey, 2017) in Florida (Hurricane Irma, 2017); in Fiji (Cyclone Winston, 2016); in Guam and Saipan (Typhoon Dolphin, 2015); on Hawaii Island (Hurricane Iselle, 2014); in Oklahoma (tornadoes, 2013) and the Philippines (Typhoon Haiyan, 2013); in New York and New Jersey (Superstorm Sandy, 2012); and in the Gulf (Hurricane Katrina, 2005).