Feeding America West Michigan is grateful to all the volunteers who assist with our mission to provide our neighbors with nourishing meals—we couldn’t do it without you!
Among our volunteers, we have many corporations, educational institutions, and non-profits who volunteer in our Reclamation Department in Kentwood. Our Reclamation Department is where we process food donations. Volunteers in teams of 10-50 people are involved in projects that include breaking down bulk products such as cereal or carrots into family-sized portions or sorting food into boxes to be distributed to seniors.
Recent Corporate Volunteers
Recently, the wonderful folks at the Amway Global Marketing Team chose to volunteer in Reclamation. Amway Team Leader Melodie Nakhle said her staff donate their time because generosity is part of Amway’s culture.
“We really believe in, you know, supporting our community, and that’s one of our values at Amway, to help people. And I really think that as a team, doing these things intentionally throughout the year helps us not only live our values but also build a stronger team.”
When asked why her team specifically was drawn to volunteering at Feeding America West Michigan, Nakhle said, “We’re all about helping people live healthier lives, right? Health and well-being is core to the products and solutions that we develop. Nutrition is a huge part of that. And being able to help people have better, healthier diets and find that nutritional support, I think, is such a wonderful thing.”
Thank you so much to Melodie and her team for their help rescuing 7,977 pounds of food to provide 6,647 meals for our neighbors!
The Rise of Corporate Volunteering
Insight from Benevity, a company whose mission is to help top brands create social impact, shows us that the state of corporate volunteering is on the rise. This “enthusiasm for volunteering is consistent with the growing desire among today’s employees for connection, learning, growth, and meaning through work”. In 2022, research from consulting firm McKinsey & Company revealed that “70% of employees said their personal sense of purpose is defined by their work”. Additionally, a Monster survey on Gen Z, revealed that 74 percent rank purpose as more important to them than a paycheck, which is higher than with any other generation.
The Impacts of Corporate Volunteerism for Your Company
Not only does volunteering at non-profits like Feeding America West Michigan help our neighbors experiencing hunger. Many companies have found that volunteering as a corporation or group can have lasting impacts on employees and the companies that they work for. This can include factors like increased employee participation. An article in Business News Daily goes on to say that other benefits include an increased sense of empowerment for employees, a positive impact on employees’ physical and mental health, increased life satisfaction, and more.
Let’s Work Together to End Hunger!
If you’re considering volunteering at a local non-profit, we’d be delighted to have you join us! You can read more about how volunteering works—including common questions and answers about volunteering—at Feeding America West Michigan on our Volunteer page. If you are ready to get started, fill out our Group Sign-up Sheet!