RISE AGAINST HUNGER
Companies go beyond cash donations with hands-on volunteer work
In February 2015, about 1,000 executives from food conglomerate Kraft Heinz Co.’s operations worldwide showed up in Pittsburgh for a global leadership meeting at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
To kick off a week of activities, the executives spent two hours assembling rice, soy protein, dehydrated vegetables and a nutrition supplement powder produced by Kraft Heinz into meal packets to be shipped to destinations where children are at risk of hunger and malnutrition.
The 220,000 meals put together that day helped the company forge a connection between employee volunteerism and the food products from which it generates revenues.
The event also marked the local launch of Rise Against Hunger, a nonprofit that partners with corporations to create community service opportunities that benefit vulnerable populations.
Rise Against Hunger is the signature philanthropy of Kraft Heinz, co-headquartered in Pittsburgh and Chicago, so there was a strong incentive to locate a warehouse and distribution facility in Greensburg in early 2015, said Andrew Moser, community engagement manager for the Raleigh, N.C.-based nonprofit.
But setting up shop near the international food giant wasn’t the only factor driving its decision, he said.
As companies ratchet up their focus on so-called corporate social responsibility issues including ethics, the environment, and doing good for others, more businesses want initiatives that get employees involved beyond making cash contributions.
“We’re starting to see a large increase in companies contacting us and really not having a clear vision of what it is they’d like to do. But they want to do something to make a difference,” said Deb Hopkins, executive director of Pittsburgh Cares, a Lawrenceville nonprofit that matches volunteers with opportunities throughout the region.
Demand for volunteer strategies
At least some recent interest in volunteerism is a byproduct of last year’s polarizing presidential election, which motivated people to contribute time and money to causes they care about, Ms. Hopkins said.
Because of the uptick in requests from businesses seeking
opportunities for employees, PittsburghCares earlier this year launched its own consulting services for companies that want to develop volunteer strategies including training and workshops.
The nonprofit charges fees of about $75 per hour for consulting services that include assessing costs of volunteer projects such as the number of employees and supplies needed to rehab a neighborhood ballpark.
Pittsburgh Cares’ services also include holding focus groups to determine what types of projects would engage employees, or customizing volunteer projects for different groups within a company such as women or veterans.
Some large employers including Highmark and Citizens Bank have retainer contracts with PittsburghCares to assist with their volunteer initiatives, said Ms. Hopkins.
Many companies want structured volunteer programs in place to attract young job candidates, she said, because “millennials really value having the ability to give back to the community.”
In an initiative that combines donations and in-person service, tax and consulting firm KPMG and United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania last year launched 100,000 Books, a three-year campaign to raise money for book donations for underserved students and to provide mentors to help those students improve reading skills.
Besides KPMG, companies that have donated money, held book drives or recruited volunteers include First Commonwealth Bank, Williams, Bayer, Koppers and Covestro.
A real attack on hunger
Rise Against Hunger — which until January was called Stop Hunger Now — last year sponsored 100 events for 90-plus groups in the Pittsburgh region, said Mr. Moser.
Kraft Heinz partners with RiseAgainst Hunger on about 40 events annually at company locations worldwide from offices to production sites such as a frozen food processing factory in Massillon, Ohio, and a ketchup factory in Fremont,Ohio.
“Obviously for a food company like Kraft Heinz, our focus on ending food insecurity and malnutrition resonates,” said Mr. Moser.
“But our cause fits nicely with all groups,” he said. “Once people try it, it really grows among those who have participated.”
For food-packing events, Rise Against Hunger sends a truck filled with all the ingredients and equipment volunteers need to assemble the meals. Participating organizations donate money to cover some of the costs, which are about $3,000 for a typical event in which 40 to 50 people assemble about 10,000 meals, said Mr. Moser.
For larger events sponsoredby big corporations, the business may contribute as much as $100,000 for supplies —plus their workers’ time.
All the ingredients go into quart-size plastic bags that contain enough to feed six people as well as instructions for mixing with meats or vegetables to make healthy meals. Those bags are sealed and packed into boxes warehoused until they are shipped to schools, medical centers, orphanages or adult vocational sites in disadvantaged communities in places including Vietnam, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and the Philippines.
Major companies that have tapped Rise Against Hunger as a corporate volunteer partner include The Hershey Co., HBO, Major League Baseball, Under Armour and drug maker Novartis.
On a Wednesday afternoon last month in Cranberry, NetApp, a data storage systems developer, hosted a meal-packing event as one of several anti-hunger initiatives it is undertaking this year to mark the company’s 25th anniversary.
About 100 employees were at NetApp’s Pittsburgh Technology Center to assemble meals. On the same day, employees collected non-perishable food items to donate to a local food bank.
Sunnyvale, Calif.-based NetApp allots each employee five days per year of volunteer time in addition to sick and vacation time, said Kurt Johanknecht, a software engineering manager at the Cranberry site.
“It’s very much a culture thing,” said Mr. Johanknecht.
A more connected world
Mr. Moser believes the push among businesses to offer more volunteer activities as part of their corporate social responsibility strategies has gained momentum because technology raises awareness of more people who need help.
“I think it’s because the world is getting smaller and more connected. In the social media age, everything is more visible.
“Maybe before you couldn’t see the poverty or tragedy people were experiencing like a refugee crisis. The visibility moves people to action instead of just leaving them feeling bad.”