Amazon has announced the continuation of its "Our Duty to Deliver" volunteer program this holiday season, aimed at supporting service members stationed away from home. The initiative utilizes Amazon’s logistics capabilities across U.S. sites to ensure timely delivery of packages for military families.
According to a news release by Amazon, the "Our Duty to Deliver" program is now in its fourth year. It was launched in 2021 by employees at Amazon’s BFI4 site in Kent, Washington. These employees were inspired by their own experiences of receiving packages while stationed overseas or on military bases and created the program to ensure that military personnel could receive their packages on time during the holidays. Since its inception, thousands of Amazon employees have participated across the company’s operations sites in the U.S.
The program uses Amazon's tracking systems to identify packages at risk of missing delivery deadlines, particularly those destined for military bases. When a package is flagged, volunteers step in to locate, reroute, and personally escort these packages through Amazon's fulfillment centers, ensuring they board the correct trucks or planes for delivery. Volunteers handle various challenges such as packages slipping off conveyor belts or becoming tangled in netting.
Amazon offers full-time employees benefits including health, dental, and vision coverage; a 401(k) plan with company matching; life and disability insurance; restricted stock units; and an Employee Assistance Program. Additional benefits include paid time off, parental leave, adoption assistance, and the Career Choice program which covers 95% of tuition for hourly employees.
The company provides a range of services including online and in-person shopping, delivery of fresh produce, media distribution, and operates devices like Alexa and Fire TV. It also offers cloud solutions through Amazon Web Services (AWS), logistics services, customer service support, and entertainment through platforms such as Amazon Originals, Prime Video, and Audible.