Collaboration between Families International and ARAMARK creates opportunities for Alliance, UNCA members
Fresh fruits and vegetables often are hard to come by for low-income families. However, this is changing for individuals served by the emergency food program at United Neighborhood Centers of America (UNCA) member Neighborhood House, Portland, Ore.
Thanks to the organization’s newly established community garden, this season’s emergency food boxes contain a variety of fresh produce—everything from apples, strawberries, and raspberries to lettuce, carrots, and kale.
Significant support in developing the community garden was provided by a team of local volunteers from ARAMARK, a professional services company that provides food services, facilities management, and uniform apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and businesses worldwide.
The company donated funds for the project, and ARAMARK employees worked with Neighborhood House staff to design, plant, and cultivate the garden.
This successful collaboration is the result of a national partnership between ARAMARK and Families International, the parent organization of UNCA and the Alliance for Children and Families.
More than a dozen member agencies already have benefited from this partnership, called ARAMARK Building Community, and as many as 20 more organizations have the opportunity to partner in 2010.
Global Company, Local Roots
ADDITIONAL PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLEAs many as 20 Alliance and UNCA members can participate in 2010. Learn how. |
Even though it is a global corporation with 255,000 employees worldwide, ARAMARK believes strongly in its responsibility to local communities, and the company is committed to giving back at the local level, says Bev Dribin, vice president of community relations.
This commitment is a practical extension of the company’s structure, whereby ARAMARK employees work at client locations across the country. Often, employees feel more closely associated with the culture and values of clients than with the larger corporation. ARAMARK Building Community provides opportunities for employees to connect with the company and each other while cultivating authentic relationships with communities across the country.
“We all live in the community, and we choose to take responsibility for the success of our neighborhoods,” Dribin says. “We are committed to using our business expertise—food services, facility enhancements, and so on—in a way that supports families by strengthening community-based organizations.”
In the mid-2000s, ARAMARK sought to formalize its community involvement commitment by partnering with a national organization that would provide credibility and expertise in social service delivery, as well as pre-existing connections with local community organizations. Teaming with Families International was a natural fit for each of these reasons, and because it facilitated a connection with the membership networks of both the Alliance and UNCA.
ARAMARK Building Community is today ARAMARK’s signature corporate community involvement initiative. By the end of 2010, ARAMARK plans to bring the initiative to around 40 communities, engage more than 10,000 employees, and contribute thousands of hours in volunteer time.
Shared Values and Purpose
Ian Bautista, president of UNCA, worked with ARAMARK to develop the initiative. He says he’s impressed with the company’s commitment to building long-term partnerships with local agencies. “I think it’s a very enlightened and visionary approach that ARAMARK is taking,” he says.
Neighborhood Centers Inc., Houston, which is a member of both the Alliance and UNCA, first began working with ARAMARK in 2007, when it was one of three organizations to pilot the ARAMARK Building Community initiative. The organization’s relationship with its ARAMARK team continues to thrive today.
“We very quickly learned that we had a similar value system and a shared purpose,” says Angela Blanchard, president and CEO of Neighborhood Centers Inc.
Emelda Douglas, senior vice president and chief development officer at Neighborhood Centers Inc., adds, “From a nonprofit perspective, it’s critical to know that you’re in a true partnership with someone who respects you and your values; that’s ARAMARK for us.”
Neighborhood Centers Inc. has developed a number of standing projects with ARAMARK’s Houston employees. However, it also collaborates with them as new needs develop.
For example, ARAMARK helped the organization provide meals to older adult residents after Hurricane Ike hit the area in September 2008.
Employees are Neighbors
Since the formation of the partnership, Blanchard estimates that ARAMARK volunteers have contributed more than 4,000 volunteer hours to Neighborhood Centers Inc., in addition to making financial contributions and providing leadership and visibility for the organization.
Watch how Neighborhood Centers Inc., with support through the ARAMARK
Building Community initiative, helped refurbish a home for one Houston resident
whose home was severely damaged during Hurricane Ike.
As a veteran of the nonprofit sector, Blanchard has high praise for ARAMARK. “I’ve never, ever seen a better corporate partner.”
Richard Nitti, executive director of Portland’s Neighborhood House, agrees with that assessment.
Neighborhood House’s partnership with ARAMARK began in 2009, when it was one of several Alliance and UNCA members selected to develop projects with local teams of ARAMARK volunteers.
“It’s been amazing to watch the ARAMARK team,” he says. “Their level of commitment and enthusiasm is impressive.”
He and his staff are impressed, not only with the way ARAMARK plans and operates, but with the generosity of the company and its people. Neighborhood House is looking forward to continuing to build the partnership. The next project is likely to include the painting of a mural at one of Neighborhood House’s community centers.
According to Dribin, ARAMARK employees’ response to the program also has been overwhelmingly positive. She says the initiative has created a sense of community and pride among staff, and many employees have expressed that one of the reasons they enjoy working for ARAMARK is because they are given the opportunity to volunteer with human service organizations that are making a lasting difference in their home communities.
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