Dollar Tree opened its 9,500th store in Suffolk on Friday, Oct. 23, pairing the milestone with a $40 million commitment to support communities across the U.S. and Canada.
The Chesapeake-based retailer, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, announced the new Dollar Tree Impact Fund through the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, according to a company press release. The fund will support nonprofit organizations and community-led projects, the company said.
The new store is located at 6150 College Drive in Suffolk.
CEO Mike Creedon said the company has grown from its Hampton Roads origins to 9,500 stores while maintaining its connection to the region. Dollar Tree traces its beginnings to Norfolk and later established its headquarters in Chesapeake.
The impact fund will target three areas: expanding access to food and everyday necessities, supporting career readiness and job skills training, and creating cleaner, safer community spaces.
Dollar Tree said it plans to support more than 400 community impact projects nationwide and launch a Kindness Grant Program. The program would allow employees to help direct grants to nonprofits in their communities.
The $40 million commitment covers communities across the United States and Canada where Dollar Tree operates. The company did not specify how much would go to Hampton Roads organizations compared with other regions.
The company also did not announce a timetable for distributing the full amount or identify individual grant recipients.
Dollar Tree employs more than 150,000 people and operates stores across 48 states and seven Canadian provinces.
To mark the Suffolk opening, the company announced that more than 100 employees would join Keep Suffolk Beautiful for a community cleanup tied to Keep America Beautiful's Greatest American Cleanup.
The new fund connects the retailer's national community investment plans to the Hampton Roads region where the company began and continues to maintain its headquarters.
