Hanesbrands Inc.

1000 E. Hanes Mill Road

Winston-Salem, NC  27105 

(336) 519-4400

 

 

 

      news release

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                               

News Media, contact:               Kay Carter, Hanesbrands, (336) 519-5061

 

HANESBRANDS INC. PROVIDES FUNDING AND VOLUNTEER SUPPORT TO RENOVATE SAN JUAN OPICO HEALTH CLINIC IN EL SALVADOR; TWO WINSTON-SALEM PHYSICIANS SERVE PATIENTS AT DAY-LONG HEALTH FAIR

 

Volunteers Representing Seven Nationalities Finalize the Renovations and Join Government Officials at Celebration Event

 

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Feb. 23, 2009) – Hanesbrands Inc. donated more than $100,000 and 200 company employees volunteered for more than 2,000 hours to refurbish and equip the San Juan Opico Health Clinic to provide better health care to the El Salvador community where the company operates.

 

The Hanesbrands volunteers, including eight from the company’s Winston-Salem headquarters, joined together Friday and Saturday, Feb. 20-21, to complete the two-month clinic renovation project, including painting, cleaning, landscaping, and dedicating the facility.

 

The 22-year-old facility, near San Salvador, operates 24 hours a day, and serves more than 2,500 patients each week, including expectant mothers and newborns.

 

“Volunteers representing El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and the U.S. came here to help meet the needs of our people and our community,” said Edwin Zamora, Hanesbrands vice president of El Salvador operations. “Our employees embraced this worthwhile community effort, and the project has been a very rewarding experience for all of us.”

 

San Juan Opico Mayor Romero Barillas praised Hanesbrands as a leader among the approximately 50 companies operating in the San Juan Opico trade zone.

 

Hanesbrands Inc. Provides Funding and Volunteer Support to Renovate San Juan Opico Health Clinic in El Salvador; Two Winston-Salem Physicians Serve Patients at Day-Long Health Fair – Page 2

 

“Hanesbrands has done more for this community than any other company I have known in the 12 years I have been mayor of San Juan Opico,” Barillas said.

 

Hanesbrands also donated more than $100,000 to refurbish the clinic structure and to purchase new medical equipment, including a dentist chair, delivery room equipment, diagnostic equipment, beds and medical instruments.

 

Structural work began on the clinic in early January and included a new roof, new electrical wiring, new cabinets and plumbing facilities, refurbished bathrooms and cafeteria, and grading and landscaping. The clinic’s maternity area was refurbished and expanded to add five new beds and two cribs.

 

“Community involvement is one of our core values at Hanesbrands,” said Chris Fox, vice president of corporate social responsibility, who was one of the Hanesbrands employees from the U.S. who worked on the project. “As volunteers, the project was very uplifting, and we received as much from it as did the beneficiaries of our work.”

 

Two Winston-Salem physicians, Dr. Chris Christakos and Dr. Doug Ririe, traveled to El Salvador to volunteer with the Hanesbrands employees. They joined physicians and staff from the clinic and from nearby Hanesbrands facilities to care for more than 560 patients during a day-long health fair on Friday.

 

The day’s activities were highlighted with the birth of a healthy baby boy, whose family had the opportunity to directly benefit from the natal facility improvements that evening. The clinic and Hanesbrands welcomed the new addition to the family with a gift basket of items for the baby.

 

On Saturday, volunteers, clinic staff, and local and national government officials, enjoyed a celebration to commemorate the community project.

 

“Health is a right and a human need, and it is the basis for development in our country. We are infinitely grateful for the contribution that Hanesbrands has made, and their good deeds will always be remembered,” said Dr. Jose Guillermo Maza, El Salvador Health Minister.

 

Hanesbrands has been an active community member in San Juan Opico where three of the company’s six manufacturing operations are located. In September 2008, Hanesbrands partnered with Mayor Barilla to provide soybean seeds and fertilizer to 2,500 farmers in the area.

 

 

 

 

Hanesbrands Inc. Provides Funding and Volunteer Support to Renovate San Juan Opico Health Clinic in El Salvador; Two Winston-Salem Physicians Help Serve Patients at Day-Long Health Fair – Page 3

 

In May 2008, Hanesbrands donated a combined $75,000 to Rotary International and worked with Mayor Barilla to improve school facilities and provide running water to 400 homes in Nueva Argentina community of Canton Agua Escondida, San Juan Opico, and cover the costs of the improvement projects. The funding provided a new water pump and electric panel that helped bring water directly into local homes. 

 

The company also provided funding for school construction materials, new benches and tables for student meals, and musical instruments for the school band.

 

Hanesbrands has a total of 5,700 employees in El Salvador.  

 

Hanesbrands Inc.

 

Hanesbrands Inc. is a leading marketer of innerwear, outerwear and hosiery apparel under strong consumer brands, including Hanes, Champion, Playtex, Bali, Just My Size, barely there and Wonderbra.  The company designs, manufactures, sources and sells T-shirts, bras, panties, men’s underwear, children’s underwear, socks, hosiery, casualwear and activewear.  Hanesbrands has approximately 45,000 employees in more than 25 countries.  More information about Hanesbrands Inc. may be found on the internet at http://www.hanesbrands.com.

 

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