Aligning Employee Volunteerism with CSR Strategy to Deliver New Levels of Social Impact
At Campbell, we are proud of our long-standing commitment to the communities where we live and work. That commitment begins in our hometown of Camden, New Jersey, and extends to many communities where our employees live and work. We describe our community efforts as Nourishing Our Neighbors. We are focused on areas where we believe we are uniquely positioned to make measurable social and human impact, based on our mission, geographic locations, and core competencies.
We apply three delivery lenses to create sustained CSR value in our community efforts:
Local Needs, Local Solutions. We know that one size does not fit all. We are also cognizant that we do not have people, plants, or even products in every community in the world. We do have long-term investments in many communities, ranging from wellness to nutrition to helping kids achieve their true potential in life.
Strategic Partnerships. We know first-hand that there are many great community-based organizations that know how to make an impact in the most efficient way possible. They know the local needs and how to maximize limited resources to make the most impact. In Camden alone, we maintain relationships with more than 100 community-based organizations that are aligned with our priorities and the community’s most pressing needs. We maintain similar strategic relationships with other organizations in each of the communities where we live and operate to make the most significant positive impact possible.
Signature Programs. Some of our programs are specifically designed to make a positive impact on youth, to significantly address the U.S. hunger challenge, and to promote awareness among women of the impacts and causes of heart disease. The Labels for Education program has been in place for more than 30 years, contributing more than $110 million worth of equipment to schools. The Stamp Out Hunger initiative is the nation’s largest single-day food drive, which has collected more than a billion pounds of food since its inception, and AdDress Your Heart is a well-known partnership with the American Heart Association in which Campbell has contributed $3.65 million over six years to help fight heart disease among women. These are just a few examples of programs in which strategic collaborations allow us to make even more meaningful impact than we could on our own.
Week-Long Effort Focuses on Reducing Hunger and Childhood Obesity
This year, Campbell is engaging a record-breaking number of employees who will participate in the company’s annual week of service, “Make a Difference Week,” which consists of 90 volunteer projects across the region this year. Approximately 1,200 employees, participated in activities to support Campbell’s commitment to improving the health of young people by reducing hunger and childhood obesity. Campbell’s “Make a Difference Week” will result in over 3,600 employee service hours and $50,000 in grants to partner non-profits.
As part of our “Nourishing Our Neighbors” community program, Campbell employees will participated in projects ranging from sorting and boxing food at the Food Bank of South Jersey in Pennsauken and at Philabundance in Philadelphia; prepping community gardens with the Camden Children’s Garden and gleaning produce for donation at local farms with Farmers Against Hunger. Campbell’s executive leadership team also help by prepping and serving nutritious lunches to elementary school students at Holy Name School in Camden and leading physical activities with the children there.
Campbell also partnered with Feeding America as part of a national backpack program taking place in nine of our locations across the country, including Napoleon, Ohio, Sacramento, Calif., Milwaukee, Wis., Richmond, Va. and Aiken, S.C. Employees filled backpacks with food that will sustain a child for a weekend to be distributed to families in need.
Campbell expanded national “Make a Difference Day” to “Make a Difference Week” five years ago after a record number of employees expressed interest in volunteering.
To learn more about Campbellās overall Corporate Social Responsibility strategy and programs, visit www.campbellsoupcompany.com/csr.