Month: May 2024

HERSHEY, Pa., May 16, 2024 /3BL/ – The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) has been named a 2024 honoree of The Civic 50, a recognition of the top community-minded companies in the United States according to an annual survey by Points of Light, the world’s largest nonprofit dedicated to accelerating people-powered change. Hershey was also named the Consumer Staples leader for the third year in a row and received the Volunteer Leader Award for having the leading volunteer culture and embracing volunteerism as a priority for civic engagement.

“Hershey is committed to business excellence, long-term resilience and making a positive impact for the planet and people,” said Leigh Horner, chief sustainability officer for The Hershey Company. “Our philanthropic giving programs and employee volunteerism are key pillars of the strong culture that enables us to delight consumers with our beloved snacking brands.”

Hershey’s programs support a variety of community needs, such as education and workforce development, advancement of inclusive economic development, and youth programs that support social and emotional well-being. In addition to philanthropic giving and product-donation programs, Hershey employees show up for their communities by donating funds and volunteering for the causes they care about. In 2023, Hershey employees volunteered nearly 130,000 hours and raised more than $1.6M in matched giving.

For more than a decade, The Civic 50 has served as the national standard for corporate citizenship and showcases how leading companies are moving social impact and community to the core of their business. Civic 50 honorees are companies with annual U.S. revenues of at least $1 billion and are selected based on four dimensions of their corporate citizenship and social impact programs: investment of resources and volunteerism, integration across business functions, institutionalization through policies, and systems and impact measurement.

Hershey has been named to The Civic 50 every year since it was created in 2012. The Civic 50 survey is administered by True Impact, and the results are analyzed by VeraWorks. The survey instrument consists of quantitative and multiple-choice questions that inform the scoring process. The Civic 50 is the only survey and ranking system that exclusively measures corporate community engagement.

To view a complete list of The Civic 50 companies, visit civic50.org.

About The Hershey Company 
The Hershey Company is an industry-leading snacks company known for making more moments of goodness through its iconic brands, remarkable people and enduring commitment to doing the right thing for its people, planet, and communities. Hershey has more than 20,000 employees in the U.S. and worldwide who work daily to deliver delicious, high-quality products. The company has more than 90 brand names in approximately 80 countries that drive more than $11.2 billion in annual revenues, including Hershey’s, Reese’s, Kisses, Kit Kat®, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers and Ice Breakers, and salty snacks including SkinnyPop, Pirate’s Booty and Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels.

For over 130 years, Hershey has been committed to operating fairly, ethically, and sustainably. The candy and snack maker’s founder, Milton Hershey, created Milton Hershey School in 1909, and since then, the company has focused on helping children succeed through equitable access to education.

To learn more visit www.thehersheycompany.com. 

About Points of Light 
Points of Light is a nonpartisan, global nonprofit organization that inspires, equips and mobilizes millions of people to take action that changes the world. We envision a world in which every individual discovers the power to make a difference, creating healthy communities in vibrant, participatory societies. Through 145 affiliates across 39 countries, and in partnership with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 3.7 million people in 16.7 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it’s needed most. For more information, visit pointsoflight.org.

SOURCE The Hershey Company

May 16, 2024 /3BL/ – Engage for Good, the leading company empowering corporate and nonprofit professionals to create mutually beneficial social impact partnerships, held their 22nd Annual Halo Awards Gala last night. The awards celebrated 2023’s best social impact initiatives between nonprofits and corporations across the country.

The winners were chosen by an expert panel of judges from a field of over 160 applicants. Winners took home Gold and Silver awards in 18 categories including “Best Disability Initiative,” “Best Social Impact Creative,” “Best Cause Product Initiative” and more. The winning campaigns took innovative approaches to make impact: from initiatives that used technology to help deaf and hard-of-hearing football players play at a professional level, innovative use of AI to identify antibiotic resistances in third world countries, a fund to defend the constitutional rights and creative expression of LGBTQ people, and more.

“This year’s winners demonstrate what is possible when companies and nonprofits partner to create programs that benefit the business and the cause,” said Muneer Panjwani, CEO of Engage for Good. “Social impact is not only good for the world, but good for the business, and we are inspired by the creativity, innovation, and commitment the winners have shown to address the many challenges our society is facing today.”

The awards featured performances by VINCINT and Miss Shalae, and were hosted by Minneapolis’ very own Michelle Young and Tim Gabrielson.

In addition to these awards, the evening celebrated Google.org as the Corporation of the Year, and charity: water as the Nonprofit of the Year. To win these awards, both organizations have shown years of commitment to pursuing innovative new partnership models that align the resources of nonprofits and corporations to create an impact on the cause and the business.

A collaboration between Hy-Vee and Feeding America, “100 Million Meals” was recognized as the “Best of the Best,” an award presented by social impact agency For Momentum. In 2023, Hy-Vee and Feeding America transformed a traditional in-store register roundup into a multi-pronged cause marketing campaign that united customers, employees, INDYCAR race fans, influencers, and suppliers across the nation around one cause: fighting hunger.

“I’m honored to present this year’s prestigious Best of the Best Halo Award to Hy-Vee and Feeding America. This award shines a spotlight on their remarkable 100 Million Meals Challenge campaign. Through a combination of best-in-class strategy, execution, and partnerships, they were able to provide 57 million meals to hungry families in 2023, with 43 million meals still to be donated in 2024. Their commitment to fighting hunger is truly inspiring. In the United States alone, 42 million people face hunger, including 13 million children. Thanks to Hy-Vee and Feeding America’s incredible efforts, millions of families will have access to nutritious meals. For Momentum is thrilled to highlight Hy-Vee and Feeding America’s partnership success, which is a shining example of how corporate and nonprofit collaborations can make a real difference in people’s lives,” said Mollye Rhea, President and Founder of social impact agency For Momentum.

The event also featured performances by rising pop star VINCINT, and Miss Shalae, one of the world’s top Beyonce tribute artist.

You can find more information about the winners at https://conference.engageforgood.com/the-halo-awards/

Please join us in congratulating this year’s Halo Award Winning Campaigns:

Corporation of the Year

Google.org

Nonprofit of the Year

charity: water

Best Advocacy or Policy Initiative

Gold: Drag Defense Fund – World of Wonder (and MtV Entertainment Studios) & American Civil Liberties Union

Silver: Forever Against Animal Testing: The Body Shop & Cruelty Free International

Best Cause Product Initiative

Gold: SONIC Limeades for Learning: Teacher Appreciation Day, SONIC & The SONIC Foundation

Silver: Wendy’s Season of Giving, Wendy’s & The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

Best Civic Engagement Initiative:

Gold: Family Dollar Doing More, Family Dollar & Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Silver:iHeartRadio Earth, iHeartMedia & National Environmental Education Foundation

Best Climate Change or Conservation Initiative:

Gold: Tom’s of Maine Incubator, Tom’s of Maine & Black Girl Environmentalist, Ocean Uprise, Earth Hacks, EcoHealing Project, Colorado River Conservancy and Start:Empowerment

Silver: EcoStrip Donation Campaign, Tru Earth Environmental Products Inc. & 1000+ nonprofits including Feeding America and Food Banks Canada

Best Consumer Donation Initiative

Gold: 100 Million Meals Challenge, Hy-Vee, Inc. & Feeding America

Silver: Call of Duty Endowment (C.O.D.E.) Warrior Pack, Activision Blizzard & The Call of Duty Endowment

Best Direct Service Initiative:

Gold: Powering Food Banks for Zero Hunger, PIMCO & The Global FoodBanking Network

Silver: CSX Pride in Service and WWP Drone Training Program, CSX & Wounded Warrior Project

Best Disability Initiative

Gold: The AT&T 5G Helmet, AT&T & Gallaudet University Football Team

Silver: FARE & CVS Teal Pumpkin Project, CVS Pharmacy & FARE

Best Emergency/Crisis Response Initiative

Gold: Knowledge is Power – The Signpost Project, Zendesk & International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Silver: Panda Express Hawaii Wildfire Relief Program, Panda Express & American Red Cross

Best Employee Engagement Initiative:

Gold: CSX Pride in Service and WWP Drone Training Program, CSX & Wounded Warrior Project

Silver: Ally “Giving Back” Culture, Ally Financial & 356 nonprofits

Best Gender Equality/Equity Initiative:

Gold: Abercrombie & Fitch x The Trevor Project Proud Year-Round, Abercrombie & Fitch & The Trevor Project

Silver: Deck The Stalls, Public Inc. & PERIOD.org

Best Intersectional Initiative:

Gold: Sleep Solutions, Scientific Revolutions: American Cancer Society and Sleep Number advance Sleep Science and Cancer Prevention, Sleep Number & The American Cancer Society

Silver: Make a Difference Campaign, Arby’s & Arby’s Foundation

Best JEDI Initiative:

Gold: Building A Fairer Future of Work: One Job At A Time, Checkr, Inc.

Silver: Audible’s New Business Attraction Program, Audible

Best Mental Health Initiative:

Gold: On My Mind, Spotify & UNICEF

Silver: Team: Changing Minds, Harry’s & Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, National Council for Mental Wellbeing, Futures Without Violence

Best Social Impact Creative:

Gold: #WomenKnowHow, P&G & CARE USA

Silver: Deck The Stalls, Public Inc. & PERIOD.org

Best Technology for Good Initiative:

Gold: Knowledge is Power – The Signpost Project, Zendesk & International Rescue Committee

Silver: Passport to Earning, Microsoft & UNICEF USA

Best of the Best

100 Million Meals Challenge, Hy-Vee, Inc. & Feeding America

Engage for Good

Engage for Good is the leading company empowering nonprofit and corporate social impact leaders with the resources, expertise and community they need to build cross-sector partnerships that benefit the cause and business. For over twenty years, the organization has nurtured and celebrated the best social impact and cause marketing initiatives The company’s portfolio of offerings include: a national conference, the Halo Awards, a series of educational webinars and a podcast featuring topical experts, as well as a monthly newsletter, educational guides, a job board, and membership program. For more information, visit www.engageforgood.com

Media Contact

David DeLuca

VP of Growth

dave@engageforgood.com

Originally published on Built From Scratch

ATLANTA, May 15, 2024 /3BL/ – In honor of Armed Forces Day, The Home Depot launched a new Military Moving hub designed to offer information tailored to military families to learn how to save time and money on their next Personally Procured Move (PPM), including a downloadable permanent change of station (PCS) checklist and more to the hundreds of thousands of active-duty military families who relocate every year.

Military families on average relocate every 2-3 years, with military retirees averaging six or more relocations over their military career. According to Blue Star Families’ annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey, active-duty service members and military spouses consistently rank frequent military relocations and rising cost of home ownership as top quality-of-life issues accompanying service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The Home Depot’s new military moving hub is designed to be a one-stop-shop for all military relocation essentials. From moving truck rentals and boxes to décor and cleaning materials, the website is designed to help military families take the stress out of PCS. Families can discover how to save time and money on their next PPM with a downloadable military moving checklist, found at www.militarymoving.com.

“At The Home Depot, we hold a special place in our hearts for those who serve our country, and we appreciate the unique challenges and sacrifices military families face,” said Erin Izen, senior director of Military Relations for The Home Depot. “Moving is stressful, and each PCS is different. Our goal is to make these moves go a little smoother for our military families.” The Home Depot’s Military Moving hub offers exclusive resources and shopping discounts to members of the U.S. Armed Forces and military spouses, including:

New Military Movers Hub: www.militarymoving.com is a new resource and support hub with information tailored to military families to learn how to save time and money on their next PPM, including a downloadable PCS checklist and more.Military Discount Benefit: Active military veterans and their spouses enjoy 10% off eligible purchases every day, year-round, in stores and online.Penske Moving Truck Rentals: Active military and veterans receive 15% off moving truck rentals with proof of valid military ID or veteran status at pickup. Penske moving trucks can be found at nearly 650 Home Depot locations across the United States, conveniently located near many military installations.Military Exchange Services Partnership: Eligible members of the military community, including veterans, can shop tax free online with special pricing on major appliances sold by The Home Depot through the Army & Air Force Exchange Service and Navy Exchange.

The Home Depot employs approximately 465,000 associates, including tens of thousands of veterans and military spouses. Since 2011, The Home Depot Foundation has invested more than $500 million in veteran causes and pledged to invest $750 million by 2030. Learn more about The Home Depot and The Home Depot Foundation’s investments in military families and veterans at www.homedepot.com/military.

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Verizon

NEW YORK, May 16, 2024 /3BL/ – Verizon’s Small Business Digital Ready Program, a free resource for small businesses to access over 50 courses, expert-led workshops, in-person and virtual networking and incentives, such as grants, celebrates today having reached 300,000 businesses across the US. This milestone marks critical progress towards Verizon’s goal to reach 1 million small businesses by 2030.

Of the 300,000 businesses Small Business Digital Ready has reached, 51% are women-owned, 62% are Black-owned or Hispanic-owned businesses, and 40% have been in business for 2 years or less – often the most precarious time for new small businesses.

Active users of Small Business Digital Ready, defined as those who have completed at least two resources on the platform this year, are also eligible to apply for the program’s national $10K grants, which are awarded to select applicants. The latest national grant cycle is now open until June 28, 2024 at 11:59pm PT.

Rose Stuckey Kirk, Verizon’s Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer, said, “Verizon is leveraging its technology and innovation to promote economic empowerment and enable communities to thrive through Small Business Digital Ready. This program is part of our responsible business plan, Citizen Verizon, which has an ambitious goal to support 1 million small businesses by 2030, and today we are excited to celebrate our significant milestone.

“It’s critical that we’ve reached 300,000 businesses, but it’s important to say that that’s not all we have done. Small businesses that use Digital Ready are reporting real value. In fact, 77% of respondents to a Small Business Digital Ready survey** said that the platform had some effect on increasing their revenue or profitability, and 78% said the platform had an effect on increasing customers. When small businesses thrive, their communities thrive.”

Verizon Small Business Digital Ready provides personalized tools and resources in partnership with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and Next Street. Popular courses include building a brand, building a communications strategy, financing your business and cybersecurity.

The platform also has a dedicated Spanish-language site, with courses exclusively in Spanish. Verizon Business learned from its 2024 Latino Small Business Survey that 82% of Latino small business owners surveyed are currently looking for external support to adapt to changing customer needs. They also continue seeking support in other areas, such as finance, cybersecurity, and marketing, to name a few.

Small Business Digital Ready is part of Citizen Verizon, the company’s responsible business plan for economic, environmental and social advancement. Citizen Verizon empowers Verizon to deliver on its mission to move the world forward through action by expanding digital access and resources, protecting the climate, and ensuring people have the skills needed for in-demand jobs. Through Citizen Verizon, and the key pillars of Digital Inclusion, Climate Protection and Human Prosperity, the company’s responsible business goals include providing 10 million youths with digital skills training by 2030, supporting 1 million small businesses with resources to help them thrive in the digital economy by 2030, achieving net zero emissions in its operations by 2035, and preparing 500,000 individuals for jobs of the future by 2030. Learn more at CitizenVerizon.com.

**Based on 2,009 survey respondents of Small Business Digital Ready users

For mining companies, enhancing sustainability can mean undertaking net-new projects. But more often, it means rethinking existing processes.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK), RUC Mining, and Energy Power Systems Australia (EPSA) have introduced an innovative regenerative energy storage solution for mine hoists which operate much like industrial elevators that lower equipment into a mine shaft and lift minerals out.

It takes little energy to lower a mine hoist. However, raising it up requires a lot of energy. RUC Mining used Rockwell regenerative drives to develop a solution that collects energy as the mine hoist lowers and then reuses that energy to power the trip back up. The hoists run solely on their own stored energy.

Sustainability benefits

Over 24 months, sustainability savings are predicted to be:

Approximately 1,427 kilolitres of dieselA reduction of 3.85 tonnes of CO2 outputA 42% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from power generation

“In addition to these strong sustainability benefits, the regenerative energy storage solution also reduces daily operating costs, reduces plant operating hours and maintenance requirements, and provides an additional level of redundancy to the power system that was not available in passive components such as load banks,” said Greg Bell, RUC electrical manager.

Learn more about the world’s first regenerative energy storage solution for underground mine winders—allowing these machines to run totally on their own stored energy.

At Qurate Retail Group, we are committed to giving back to the communities we serve, through corporate philanthropy, product donations, team member giving, and volunteerism. However, this commitment goes far beyond the markets where we operate. This is best seen through our product donation program, which aims to provide essential items to those in need, fostering hope and support within our local communities, nationally and worldwide. Our Fulfillment and Expediting teams ensure that product that is in good condition does not end up in a landfill, but instead, is provided to charitable organizations and given new life to support those in need.

As part of this important work, we are honored to celebrate 10 years of working with World Vision – a humanitarian organization conducting relief, development, and advocacy activities in its work with children, families, and their communities globally. Over the past 10 years, 30,000 pallets of Qurate Retail Group products, valued at $60 million, have helped hundreds of thousands of people in 35 countries worldwide through World Vision. Here in the United States, Qurate Retail Group products have been donated across 29 states, reaching and uplifting communities most in need. In the video above, you will see this impact come to life in Clay County, West Virginia.

In addition to product donations, Qurate Retail Group provided a monetary donation to World Vision to support the Women’s Empowerment Fund. Through Savings Groups, women in poor communities learn financial literacy, enabling them to save money together in small amounts and lend to each other when needs arise, such as family members’ illness, children’s education, and falling income due to climate induced disasters. Financial inclusion is a key element of social inclusion, a crucial step towards economic empowerment to overcome poverty and income inequality. Support of programs like Savings Groups fuels economic growth and empowerment on a global scale.

Together, our team members and vendors are making choices to help create a brighter future for our neighbors both near and far.