Month: April 2024

Originally published by TriplePundit

While we live in an age of hyper-connectivity, it often feels like people are more detached from their local communities than ever before. A majority of Americans (57 percent) only know some — or none — of their neighbors, and few socialize with them, according to Pew Research. And businesses are susceptible to the same trap. While corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs abound, few organizations go beyond the act of making monetary donations, missing major opportunities to build meaningful connections with the communities they engage.

At Subaru, we are committed to being a positive force in the communities where we live and work. It’s part of the Subaru Love Promise, our vision to show love and respect to all people at every interaction. This has come to life across dozens of CSR programs over the years. Working together with our nationwide network of retailers who know and understand their communities, we’ve established and nurtured longstanding relationships on behalf of Subaru. From supplying local high-needs schools with critical funding to purchase classroom supplies to teaming up with animal welfare organizations to help shelter pets find loving homes, we’ve had the privilege of interacting with community members on a personal level.

We’ve learned a lot over the years, but one lesson rises above the rest: Businesses cannot make a genuine impact on behalf of a community without building a meaningful connection first.

And our communities need these connections now more than ever. Across the country, hundreds of thousands of people are experiencing homelessness and other urgent need situations. Roughly 653,100 people were experiencing homelessness during a single night in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report. That’s a record high since data collection began in 2007 and a 12 percent increase over the year before. Nearly three of every 10 people (28 percent) experiencing homelessness are part of a family with children.

Over the years, we’ve made helping those in urgent need a priority through our Subaru Loves to Help initiative, but with the need higher than ever, we knew we had to do more.

Enter Operation Warm, our new Subaru Loves to Help charity partner. Operation Warm is a national nonprofit that manufactures brand-new, high-quality coats and shoes for children in need. Its mission is to provide warmth, confidence, and hope through basic needs programs that connect underserved kids to the community resources needed to thrive.

In addition to having over 25 years of experience and expertise, Operation Warm stood out to us because it is one of a few organizations helping to provide for children’s basic needs, as well as for their social and emotional development. Per the nonprofit’s motto, it’s offering “more than a coat.”

Through this partnership, local gifting events are organized so children can personally choose the items in styles and colors that they prefer. In February, Subaru retailers across the nation will actively engage with local shelters and organizations supporting youth in their communities. These special events, facilitated with the assistance of local beneficiary partners, offer a range of coat and shoe styles and colors, as well as socks — all donated by the Subaru retailer.

At these events children can try on, be fitted for, and choose brand-new coats, shoes and socks that reflect their personal style. These essential items not only keep children safe and warm, but they also provide confidence and can mean the difference between participating in school, activities, and other experiences critical to social and emotional development.

Subaru is proud to be the largest automotive supporter of Operation Warm and shares the organization’s values of community connection. And as with any good partnership, both organizations are benefiting tremendously. Operation Warm is helping Subaru create longstanding relationships between our retailers and local shelters. Our employees and retailers now have the chance to directly engage with people in their communities and fill a very specific need. Hosting gifting events allows them to interact with the children firsthand and connect with each of them individually, which is incredibly emotional.

Simultaneously, Subaru has played a vital role in the expansion of Operation Warm, enabling it to increase its impact in over 600 ZIP codes nationwide. Recognizing the demand for socks as a top request from shelters, Subaru initiated their production, complementing the provision of coats and shoes by Operation Warm. This underscores the strength of the collaboration between national partners and the collective achievements made possible through joint efforts.

We’ve always looked for ways to support those who need it the most in our communities, which is how our Subaru Loves to Help initiative came to be what it is today. Whether it is by providing blankets and socks to homeless shelters, donating food to Feeding America and local food banks, helping Meals on Wheels deliver meals to seniors, or supporting the American Red Cross in disaster response, we believe our communities get stronger when everyone is cared for. Together with our retailers and partners, we are committed to identifying the needs of the people in our communities and helping support them with actions that set an example for others to follow.

We are proud to partner with Operation Warm to offer children in urgent need both physical and emotional warmth, in turn providing them comfort, confidence and hope. As we look to grow our impact in the years ahead, Subaru and our retailers plan to continue going beyond just donations. We believe in the importance of meaningful human connections because nurturing and building relationships within our communities is equally as important as the work we do and the contributions we make.

This article series is sponsored by Subaru of America and produced by the TriplePundit editorial team. 

WALNUT CREEK, Calif., April 10, 2024 /3BL/ – Today, in celebration of Earth Month, Del Monte Foods, Inc. published its fiscal year 2023 Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Report, highlighting the company’s commitment to being Growers of Good and demonstrating progress against the company’s ESG goals.

“At a time when concern over global resources and food insecurity are on the rise, I’m proud to lead a company that is committed to reducing our impact on the environment, championing the diversity of our team members and giving back to the communities in which we live and work,” said Greg Longstreet, President and CEO of Del Monte Foods. “Thanks to the efforts of our committed Del Monte Foods team members, we continue to make progress toward our 2025 ESG goals and have already reached many of them. Even as we celebrate these milestones, we continue to push forward and work to make good on our pledges to be a grower of good for our people, our communities and the planet we all share.”

In line with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) industry standards, Del Monte Foods’ 2023 ESG Report maps progress across the company’s three ESG focus areas: Nourishing the Planet, Nourishing People, and Nourishing Communities. A selection of report highlights within each focus area follows.

Nourishing the Planet – The company is working to build its environmental integrity through eight impact areas, including:

Carbon Footprint Reduction: Since 2021, the company has seen a 6% reduction in Scope 1, 2 and 3 total emissions and set a net-zero target, committing to carbon reduction targets in line with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) Net Zero Standard.Regenerative Agriculture: Created a collaborative forum for organic tomato growers, where they can share best practices, learn more about regenerative agriculture processes and collaborate to enrich the collective community and planet.Sustainable Packaging: Began incorporating post-consumer resin (PCR) in plastic beverage cups, marking progress against the company’s goal to include 25% recycled content in plastic packaging. By 2030, the company aims to make 100% of plastic packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable.

Nourishing People – The company is continually working to care for its team members at an individual level, for example:

Creating Inclusive Culture: Earned a top score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index for LGBTQ+ equality and inclusion.Diversity in Management: Maintained diversity in management with women and people of color filling over 50% of Senior Manager or higher roles; an 8% increase since 2020.Del Monte Foods Education Scholarship: Awarded ten $5,000 college scholarships to team members’ children in a new annual program.

Nourishing Communities – The company continues to find effective ways to make nutritious food accessible and bring nutrition education to families and communities, including:

Nourishing Families by Nourishing Schools Program: Continuing a $5 million commitment, Del Monte Foods reached 1.25 million families and engaged over 4,000 schools in 2023 with its Nourishing Families by Nourishing Schools program in partnership with Alliance for a Healthier Generation. The program strives to improve the physical, mental and social emotional well-being of children. The company continues to make progress toward its goal of reaching 75% of students that represent Black, Indigenous and people of color populations.Team Member and Company Donations: Team members made donations to nonprofits of their choice through the Donation Matching Program, and Del Monte Foods donated over 4.7 million pounds of food, with a value of more than $3.3 million through partnerships with the American Red Cross and Feeding America.

“We’re so excited to showcase the hard work Del Monte Foods has been doing to strengthen our commitments to growing good for the planet and the people on it,” said Molly Laverty, Director of Environmental, Social & Governance at Del Monte Foods “Sustainability is not only good for the planet, it’s simply good business. This report reflects our dedication to integrating our purpose into every aspect of our operations as we continue to do our part to build a more sustainable future for generations to come.”

To download the 2023 ESG Report and for further information on Del Monte Foods’ programs, visit this link.

About Del Monte Foods

For more than 135 years, Del Monte Foods, Inc. has been driven by our mission to nourish families with earth’s goodness. As the original plant-based food company, we’re always innovating to make nutritious and delicious foods more accessible to consumers across our portfolio of beloved brands, including Del Monte®, Contadina®, College Inn®, Kitchen Basics®, JOYBA®, Take Root Organics™ and S&W®. We believe that everyone deserves great tasting food they can feel good about, which is why we grow and produce our products using sustainable and earth-friendly practices for a healthier tomorrow.

Del Monte Foods, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Del Monte Pacific Limited (Bloomberg: DELM SP, DELM PM) and is not affiliated with certain other Del Monte companies around the world, including Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., Del Monte Canada, or Del Monte Asia Pte. Ltd. For more information about Del Monte Foods and our products, please visit www.delmontefoods.com or www.delmonte.com.

Media Contacts:

Drew McGowan 
Del Monte Foods 
MediaRequests@delmonte.com 
415-637-5732

Courtney Mains 
Edelman 
Courtney.Mains@edelman.com 
408-835-5323