Delta volunteers build five Houses with Habitat for Humanity in China

ATLANTA and SHANGHAI – Delta Air Lines and Habitat for Humanity will join forces May 23 – 25, to help build five Habitat houses in Pinghu, a municipality near Shanghai, as part of Delta’s Force for Global Good program to effect positive local and global change.

More than 50 Delta employees will build houses in Pinghu, China, where many families are living in decades-old mud-brick homes without proper sanitation. Delta also is joining forces with SkyTeam partners China Southern and China Eastern, which are sending more than 20 volunteers to work with the Delta team.

“At Delta, we take seriously our responsibility to contribute to the communities we serve,” said Ed Bastian, president of Delta and a Habitat for Humanity International board member. “It is our privilege to help families in Pinghu improve their living conditions.”

Sandeep Bahl, Delta director – China and Hong Kong added, “It is an honor to build these homes working alongside employees from our Chinese partner airlines. Delta will continue to find ways to work with our China-based SkyTeam partners to make a difference in local communities.”

Delta volunteers will be joined by Ronald Hernandez of New Orleans, La., a Delta SkyMiles® member who bid more than 483,000 miles in an online auction to win the opportunity to participate in the build. The miles will be donated to Habitat for Humanity.

“Delta’s donations and volunteers will help improve the living conditions of members of the Pinghu community and provide critical support to Habitat for Humanity China’s ongoing disaster response initiatives including Sichuan Earthquake rebuilding efforts,” said Kester Yim, managing director of Habitat for Humanity China. “The arrival of the Delta Force for Global Good demonstrates how Habitat for Humanity is mobilizing resources from around the world for life-changing local impact.”

This will be the second time Delta volunteers and Habitat for Humanity have worked together in Asia. Two years ago, nearly 70 Delta employees traveled to the Mekong Valley in Thailand to build homes as part of Habitat’s Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project.

This is Delta’s seventh international build with Habitat for Humanity. Delta employees from around the globe use vacation time and pay a portion of their expenses to volunteer on the international builds and help those in need of simple, decent and affordable housing, while also taking the opportunity to know more about the country and its culture. Delta has been involved in similar projects in South Africa, Ghana, India, Thailand and Chile. Within the United States, Delta’s volunteers have built houses in New York, Mississippi, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Minnesota, Michigan, Florida and California.

Delta has supported Habitat for Humanity for more than 20 years and strengthened the partnership in 2006 by becoming a national partner and unveiling the first 767-300 featuring a unique Habitat for Humanity livery and a Delta “Force for Global Good” decal.