On September 22, thousands of Aramark team members around the world will participate in Aramark Building Community (ABC) Day – the hospitality, facilities and uniform services company’s annual day of service.
Volunteers from 14 countries, including the U.S., U.S. Virgin Islands, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, England, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, and South Korea, will dedicate their time, energy and expertise to service projects in areas where they live and work, to reduce inequity, support and grow local communities, and protect the planet.
“Aramark Building Community Day is the culmination of our yearlong volunteer efforts, and we are thrilled to have our volunteers gathering in person this year, to give back to local communities,” Jami Leveen, vice president of community partnerships at Aramark, said in the announcement. “I’d like to thank all our volunteers who remain committed to enabling a healthy and equitable society and who bring our mission of doing great things for our people, our partners, our communities, and our planet, to life.”
Signature projects
ABC Day will include nearly 150 community service projects globally, with transformational projects in Philadelphia, Chicago, Nashville and Gaithersburg, Maryland. Activities will include:
• Enhancing playgrounds and community centers, maintaining vegetable gardens, painting inspirational murals, and revitalizing outdoor play areas.
• Hosting Healthy for Life demonstrations, providing nutrition education and other actionable information to enable community members to make healthier choices and lead healthier lives.
• Sorting donated food and packing donation boxes, increasing equitable access to food for those in need.
Tree planting
Employees will be planting trees in the Bowling Green, Kentucky, neighborhoods hardest hit by the devastating December 2021 tornadoes, adding badly needed restoration to the area, and enhancing the livability and healthiness of the area for residents.
Employee Resource Groups in Action
Aramark’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are a vital part of the company’s community strategy. Representatives from each of the 11 ERGs will lead or volunteer to support service projects benefiting an array of diverse nonprofit organizations and their members. With a focus on health and workforce development, the ERGs will be hosting projects that:
- Address campus food insecurity.
- Promote female workforce development and interview readiness.
- Provide healthy meals and snacks to community members, including homeless LGBTQ+ youth and adults facing mental health challenges.
- Enable career development for veterans and military spouses.
- Support children and families facing hospitalization.
- Honor Indigenous cuisine.
- Provide basic needs hygiene kits to school students and their families.
- Demonstrate culinary skills and healthy meal preparation.
