We saw this article in The New York Times and couldn't overlook how wildly inaccurate it is, so we had some fun with it. I hope you will too.

Here are the links we mentioned in our edits:

1. Associate story re: public assistance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WwGhOhRH38
2. Ed Schultz on Polifact.com re: public assistance: http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2014/may/23/ed-schultz/ed-schultz-says-walmart-worke...
3. Jason Furman on Walmart and the economy: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/dialogues/features/2006/is_walmart_good_for_the_amer...

Zeke Estrella is happiest on the ocean.

That’s where the skipper of the Sunset Charge spends up to two weeks at a time, catching albacore tuna 200 miles off the Oregon coast, away from family, friends, and anything resembling civilization.  

Sharing small quarters, the crew rises every morning with the sun, surrounded by nothing but water, a few seagulls, and the cool Pacific breeze. The days are long and grueling, but the “thrill of the hunt” and the brotherly bond of the team draws Zeke back to the sea every tuna season.

They work quickly until sunset, with few breaks. Their task: trolling the ocean for fish and filling up the boat’s freezer with as much fresh albacore tuna as they can, before cruising back to coastal Washington … where they unpack their catch, and ship the fish just a few miles down the road to Fishpeople headquarters, where it is hand-processed and packed up into bags, many of which get sent to Walmart stores.

Zeke’s teammate, Fallon Child, spends his days pulling tuna into the boat one by one. Because Fishpeople is a sustainable fishery, every fish caught on the Sunset Charge is caught by hand. There are no nets—only a pole, a strong work ethic, and a shared love of the ocean by everyone on board.

While a significant portion of the seafood Americans eat is caught by U.S. fishermen, exported overseas for processing, and then returned to the U.S., Fishpeople represents one of many companies making, or in this case, catching, processing, packaging and fulfilling their products, here in the U.S.  In fact, every fish they sell can be tracked back to the fisherman who caught it, via a code on the packaging. This dedication to local harvesting and healthy oceans can remain intact, while they continue to grow with support from Walmart.

Fallon believes in Fishpeople’s commitment to wild-caught fish. “They like to focus on the most sustainable fisheries as possible. Taking only what they can. Which is great. I want my kids to be able to go out there and fish for albacore tuna just like I did,” he says.

Zeke agrees: “Just the fact that the food is staying here locally, the consumer gets to eat a product that was caught right off their coast, that’s a big deal. […] there’s not another boat out there that does what we do.”

When I tell people what I do for a living – especially this time of year – they tend to think of it as me being one of Santa’s elves.

In a way, it’s a fairly accurate assessment. But for those of us who live the holiday season inside a Walmart.com fulfillment center, we relate it to that of a sports team – deep in the postseason, with the clock winding down.

In the retail world, Black Friday is generally thought of as the granddaddy of them all. At the new Walmart.com fulfillment center in Atlanta – and the three others like it across the U.S. – Cyber Monday is our Black Friday. Online orders from everywhere start pouring in and, for an entire month, they never let up. Ever.

It’s nothing to ship out hundreds of thousands of units per day from some of these facilities during the holidays. And, as the orders roll in, it's my job to coordinate when every unit in every order needs to move. Some orders need to be on a customer’s doorstep in just two days. The clock immediately begins ticking and we’re responding in the moment to gather and pack them. Then, it's on to the appropriate carriers – UPS, FedEx, USPS or our own network.

To paint you a picture of what I see every day, there are literally hundreds of thousands of boxes moving at the same time. Packagers are packing, conveyor lines are rolling. My eyes are following everything, focusing on specific targets along the way. No two orders are the same, so we’re customizing everything. So if we spot a bottleneck, we have to react.

There are fulfillment centers with 200 to 300 full-time associates that bring in an additional 500 or so just to keep up with the holidays. By now, so many of those PieFace games have passed through our facility that I probably see them in my sleep. And who would have thought Mason jars would be such a popular item during the holidays? We see it all.

If you stop to think about it, we’re playing the role of our customers’ eyes and ears. When they order online, they don't have the option of hand-selecting each item for themselves, so it's our responsibility to be sure what arrives on their doorstep is exactly right and on time. By doing our jobs well, we play a big role in making magical holiday moments for so many people. That’s something we take very seriously.

Truth is, our legs get tired this time of year because the race is always on. Every one of us will tell you there are moments along the way when we want to tap out. But, when it all ends, I get this huge rush of excitement. It's the same feeling every year. It's like reaching the ball over the goal line for the winning touchdown in the final second. It's a moment of celebration – and it's awesome.

The most common question I get – from anyone, really – is, “How do you find the time, especially when you have a family and a career?” I tell them I don't have to “find” the time because it’s in my blood.

It all began when I was a 5-year-old boy, growing up in India. My parents told me we were going to spend the day volunteering at a shelter for abandoned children. It was eye-opening – to the point that it shaped who I’ve become.

We ended up spending countless days there as a family, helping out however we could. Often times, we rounded up as much food as we could to help stock their kitchen. Some days, we spent a portion of our time cleaning or repairing. But we always interacted with the kids. I’ll never forget the looks on their faces when we did. You could tell how much it meant to them – to know someone was there for them.

That was decades ago, but those memories and experiences remain fresh on my mind. And that’s where the question “How do you find the time?” comes in. Volunteering has always been a part of my life – from the beginning – and I’ve really never stopped. I continued to volunteer wherever and whenever I saw a need in India and, when my career took me to the United States, I brought that passion with me.

I never set out to log a certain number of volunteer hours, but I know I was involved in more than 545 volunteer projects with various organizations during my time living on the East Coast. I’m the guy who’s always rounding up the manpower and support at work and in my community to ensure an even greater impact than I could deliver on my own. The way I see it, everyone needs to support everyone in this world.

I knew that wasn’t going to change when I accepted a job in strategic services with Walmart’s Information Systems Division in Northwest Arkansas in 2013. But what I didn't expect was to find a level of support for this kind of volunteerism beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. At Walmart, finding ways to get deeper into a community and make meaningful connections – that’s part of the culture.

So, when I decided to hop in my car and drive to Moore, Okla., to help residents begin to rebuild from a devastating tornado in May 2013, Walmart was behind me. The company was there again when I needed a truck, supplies and other associates to help respond to a tornado in nearby Vilonia and Mayflower, Ark., the following year.

Whether I’m helping a local organization deliver snack packs to students in need at local elementary schools, mowing the yards of the elderly in the area, or raising money to fight metastatic breast cancer – this is what brings me joy and happiness. So far, I’ve been involved in more than 115 events in Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Walmart has made it clear that it supports me, through coordinating all these events, the donation of product, manpower and more. Oftentimes, the company’s Volunteerism Always Pays program even matches my contribution of time with charitable contributions. Averaging 40 volunteer projects and 230 volunteer hours per year on my own since I moved to Northwest Arkansas, that adds up. I want to help make the lives of others a little easier, and I want to inspire those around me to do the same. Having consistent support from my management, the Walmart Foundation and my greater Walmart family makes that a whole lot easier.

Editor’s Note: You can read more about Sreekumar in the 2015 Giving Report, which details how Walmart and the Walmart and Foundation work to serve society.

Did you know the average fuel economy for an 18-wheeler is about 6 miles per gallon? Considering the fact that most loads travel thousands of miles across the country, a truck driver’s fuel costs can quickly add up.

But Lynn Halterman and Wyatt Jepsen aren’t your average truck drivers. Not only have they earned more than 3.5 million safe miles over their combined 38-year careers— they also developed a driver training and fuel-efficiency program that’s enabled the Walmart private fleet to boost its fuel economy to an industry-leading record of 7.25 miles per gallon. 

While 1.25 miles per gallon above the national average may not seem like a big difference, at Walmart the savings add up quickly. Fuel savings from our efforts to deliver more cases with fewer miles are amplified by our drivers’ commitment to improve their fuel economy. This fiscal year alone, the Walmart private fleet is expected to avoid emissions of nearly 650,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, and save nearly $1 billion compared to a 2005 baseline – contributing to a cleaner environment and lower prices for customers.

It all ties back to a commitment Walmart made in 2005: to double the efficiency of our private fleet by the end of 2015. Last month, we were excited to announce that we achieved this goal – a milestone we could not have reached without the help of those who drive Walmart trucks every day.

In 2008, Lynn and Wyatt made a huge difference toward that goal. Driving every day out of Grantsville, Utah, where diesel prices spiked at $4.64 per gallon that year, the two were approached by their manager about finding a way to increase each driver’s miles per gallon. After learning how to download engine information from their trucks, at the end of each month, the drivers pulled data from all 150 trucks in the Grantsville fleet such as idle time, gear downs, use of cruise control, and how the drivers were shifting. While the process took about a week each month and produced a stack of papers about two feet tall, what resulted was a breakthrough:  Drivers who did specific things, like skipping gears while shifting if it was safe to do so, used cruise control more often, and idled less, got more miles per gallon and better fuel efficiency than drivers who didn’t.

Lynn and Wyatt implemented those learnings, and now, seven years in, they’re continuing to better the program. They’ve partnered with the supplier who provided the onboard computers that each truck is equipped with to develop a program specific to Walmart’s needs, and established a better way to obtain this information. Instead of having to manually pull the info from each truck, it now travels through a wire, and back to the supplier through satellite. Lynn and Wyatt have also traveled to other regional operations centers to train fellow drivers.

With a job that means being on the road every day, there’s lots of time to think about one’s family, Lynn said, and how future generations can enjoy the beauty that rolls by outside the window. That’s why he saw finding a simple way to do better for the planet as very practical.

“We’re proud of our company’s achievements toward the environment and are glad to participate,” Lynn said. “Most drivers prefer no-nonsense things that have a good impact.”