The Hershey Company (a Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Noteworthy Company) was recognized for the fifth time as one of America’s 50 most community-minded companies in The Civic 50, an annual recognition for companies that best use their resources to help improve the communities in which they do business.
The Civic 50 award is the only recognition that exclusively measures corporate involvement in communities and is an initiative of Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. This Civic 50 award, created in 2012, has been awarded to Hershey all five years it has been presented.
“Our passion for supporting vibrant and thriving communities has been a part of Hershey for more than a century,” said Leigh Horner, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility, The Hershey Company. “This inspires us to be catalysts for change by unleashing our employees to apply their time and talents as volunteers and by giving financial support to community issues that matter most to us.”
On a global scale, Hershey is focused on sharing its goodness with the world by leveraging the skills and talents of its employees, as well as the resources of its business, to implement programs that help the greater community flourish. The company continues to positively impact the community through its shared social purpose Nourishing Minds by providing children with the basic nutrition they need to learn and grow. Through applying its expertise in food production and processing to support programs and partnerships in Ghana, the United States, Canada and China, Hershey is on track to nourish one million minds by 2020.
The company also expanded its Learn to Grow program, which provides agricultural training to more than 48,000 cocoa farmers across Cte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria. Through education, women’s empowerment and policies that help prevent illegal and forced child labor, Hershey aims to help build healthy and productive communities a goal that is further outlined in the company’s recently released 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Report.
Additionally, Hershey is gearing up for its annual global week of service, Good to Give Back Week, happening this July. Throughout the week, thousands of employees will work with the company’s non-profit partners to give back to local communities around the world. During an annual meal-packing event with Rise Against Hunger, the company expects to pack its one-millionth meal, with all meals sent to communities in need around the world. Throughout the year, Hershey employees are encouraged to give back to communities and is among 64 percent of Civic 50 companies that offer employees paid time off to volunteer.
“Encouraged by calls for responsible citizenship from shareholders, employees and customersbut also driven by a desire to build trust and define their brands Civic 50 companies are putting communities at the center of business,” said Jennifer Lawson, president of networks at Points of Light.
To view a complete list of The Civic 50 companies for 2017, visit Civic50.org.
Learn more about career opportunities at The Hershey Company.
