the founder of Chobani Yogurt (we mentioned their expansion in Twin Falls, Idaho, here recently), created a personal foundation launched at Davos (Switzerland) in 2016 he called The Tent Foundation.
To learn more about Ulukaya’s pitch to global corporations see his 2016 opinion piece published at CNN Money (watch the video!) where he says he has hired 600 refugees for his yogurt plants in New York and Idaho and that he has pledged to give half of his $1.4 billion personal wealth to refugee causes.
Now comes news that The Tent Foundation has hired Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service to pen a guide for their “member” companies (affiliated with Tent) to answer questions corporations have about hiring refugee labor.
Let me be clear:
We applaud global corporations (like those below) and uber-wealthy CEOs that send millions of their own dollars to care for refugees living in camps and in other difficult situations around the world.
However, when they rely on the federal taxpayer, through the UN/US Refugee Admissions Program, to deliver their potential workers to the US (to compete with Americans for jobs), it becomes our business.
For new readers, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) is one of nine federal contractors*** hired and funded (on a per refugee-head basis) by the US State Department and the Office of Refugee Resettlement in HHS to place refugees in towns where citizens have no say in the matter and are generally kept in the dark about the process and plans for their communities.
LIRS, approximately 96% funded by taxpayer dollars, is at the moment in a tight spot due to internal turmoil.
We have also recently reported on two other LIRS side ‘deals’ with global corporations— the meatpackers JBS Swift and Tyson Foods.
Now we hear that Ulukaya’s personal foundation, The Tent Foundation, has hired LIRS to write “a 15-page resource toolkit for employers laying out why they should hire refugees.”
According to a signed contract seen by RRW, the finished product was to be delivered to The Tent Foundation by the end of October.
It is unclear if that happened, or if it did, if the ‘guide’ will be available to the public.
Making a deal…..
Here, below, is a July e-mail provided by someone close to the arrangement from an obviously very pleased Linda Hartke, LIRS CEO, to staff members (recipient names removed by me).
From: Linda Hartke
Sent: Monday, July 24, 2017 3:05 PM
To:
Cc:
Subject: RE: Recruitment of a contractor
For those who are not aware of the background on this project, the focus is the development of a 15 page resource toolkit for employers laying out why they should hire refugees, what are the legal and cultural issues to consider, how to go about it, and where to get help. The Tent Foundation is the foundation of the founder of Chobani yogurt who is himself a refugee and employs many refugees. They have many large corporate “members” related to the foundation, and their members have been hungry for such a resource.
While current LIRS staff will manage this project, the heavy lift of the research and writing will be done by a contractor as described below.
There is no formal contract or paperwork on the grant yet – but there is email communication confirming agreement on terms. We have asked them to proceed this week to finalize the necessary paperwork and begin the process to transfer funds. We did not provide a budget, but rather a fixed amount to produce the toolkit.
Congrats all, on this new funder for LIRS!
Linda
—
Linda Hartke
President and CEO | LHartke@lirs.org | 410-230-2762
Here (and below) are those companies and NGOs affiliated with Ulukaya’s foundation which wikipedia refers to as his “personal foundation.” You will surely recognize many global corporations on the list! Don’t miss Soros Fund Management!
And, here are the non-profit’s working with The Tent Foundation including our old pals at ‘Welcoming America.‘
Click here for our complete archive on the community organizers at Welcoming America.
*** These are the nine federal resettlement contractors paid largely with your tax dollars to place refugees in hundreds of locations around the US.
Go here to see a recent accounting of their finances and CEO salaries:
- Church World Service (CWS)
- Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC) (secular)
- Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM)
- Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS)
- International Rescue Committee (IRC) (secular)
- US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) (secular)
- Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS)
- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
- World Relief Corporation (WR)