The main charity organization for the Quad Cities-based Deere and Company has approved a one-million dollar grant to the Red Cross for disaster relief efforts in Japan. Deere spokesman Ken Golden, says the John Deere Foundation had pledged to add more relief funds to those that the company employees give to help with the earthquake and tsunami relief.

Golden says the foundation will match Deere employee contributions to the relief effort up to $500,000. Deere is a global company, but Golden says there’s not a direct link to Japan. He says Deere does not have operations in Japan, but does have suppliers, and joint-venture partner Hitachi there. Golden says “we are very concerned as the entire world is about what has happened in Japan” and says the contribution will help the Red Cross assist Japan in this “very,very difficult time.”

Golden says disaster relief is one of the main benefactors of the foundation. Golden says the foundation is active in a variety of areas, but disaster relief is one area that the foundation has been active in. The company says the foundation annually gives $250,000 each to American Red Cross National Disaster Relief Fund and the International Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.