Compassionate Corporations

By now, we all know the devastation that was wreaked by a powerful undersea earthquake that unleashed deadly tsunamis across Southeast Asia. The human toll is simply staggering: More than 120,000 were killed, five times that number were injured, and still millions more have been left homeless. The tragedy will likely be remembered as one of the worst on record, but it spawned far more than just misery and destruction -- it also triggered a tremendous outpouring of global relief.

In times such as these, concerned citizens everywhere tend to rally together and are often among the first to offer their support. Of course, international relief agencies have sprung into action and are busy collecting donations; the Red Cross has been swamped with calls, raising nearly $30 million thus far. Governments, too, have set aside funds to assist with relief efforts. The generous contribution of the corporate world, though, is sometimes overlooked. Often maligned as soulless entities who care of nothing but the bottom line, dozens of U.S. companies have lined up to pledge millions to assist the victims of Sunday's natural disaster.

According to an Associated Press article, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) is leading the charge with $10 million in cash and another $25 million in drugs. Merck (NYSE:MRK) and Bristol-Myers Squibb are also sending money and medicine to the affected region. Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) has set up collection cans at each of its stores in addition to a $2 million contribution of its own. Coca-Cola, Citigroup, and Exxon-Mobil have all pledged multimillion-dollar donations.

There are more immediate needs, though, that must be met, such as food, water, and other basic supplies. Pepsico has stepped up by sending in cases of Aquafina bottled water. Johnson & Johnson is planning to ship six shipping containers full of medicine and first aid products. Sears has reportedly made plans to send $200,000 worth of merchandise.

Online companies are also contributing, with Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN), Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), AOL, and others all adding links on their websites to relief agencies to help collect donations. As of Wednesday, Amazon had already gathered more than 60,000 online donations. Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) also supported the effort, building a site to help the American Red Cross collect donations. Still other companies -- from General Electric to Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) to Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) -- have set up programs that match employees' charitable contributions.

In the wake of this terrible disaster, companies around the globe have committed their time and resources to help ease the suffering of those impacted by this terrible tragedy. The overwhelming show of support might not completely dispel the notion of "corporate greed," but it is yet another sign that many companies strive to be good corporate citizens by giving something back. This list is far from complete, as many other firms, both public and private, have already promised their support, and more will likely do so in the weeks ahead. If you would like to join the effort, we here at the Fool have provided a few tips for the Foolanthropic out there who want to do their part.

Fool contributor Nathan Slaughter owns none of the companies mentioned.