MILAN — Following National Volunteering Week, global snacking company Mondelēz International has tallied up the hours its UK employees volunteered in local communities during 2018 – an amazing 937 days. Across ten UK sites, a total of 7,496 hours were committed to local causes by 1,201 different individuals – meaning that one in three UK employees shared their time and expertise as part of the company’s global Impact4Good volunteer programme.
This saw more than 13,000 colleagues from 52 countries make a positive impact for people and planet in big and small ways.
The history of the Cadbury brand in particular is steeped in local spirit, with the Cadbury family building its own community in Bournville for its employees alongside the ‘factory in a garden’. The Cadbury Foundation was then set up in 1935 in recognition of company founders George and Richard Cadbury and whilst grants are made on an annual basis, the employee volunteers are what keeps the ethos of Richard and George alive.
In Bournville alone, employees volunteered nearly 4,000 hours of time and expertise to local organisations. Teams from across the business spent many hours at nearby Rowheath Pavilion – built by the Cadbury family in 1924, supporting local food growing spaces through the company’s Health for Life programme and with local charities such as Acorns Children’s Hospice.
All across the UK, employees are encouraged to volunteer for Feeding Britain’s Future – a national programme led by IGD to inspire the next generation of grocery talent, which the Mondelez team in Reading have engaged with to highlight the importance of STEM to local students. Meanwhile employees at the Uxbridge site pledged their time to Hillingdon food bank, DASH a local disability charity and youth getaway The Willow Tree Centre.
A key element of the company’s volunteering efforts are focused on sharing expertise and insights with charities and organisations that need specific skill sets. Through the #powerhour programme, many employees have been matched with local charities and brainstormed various challenges, including the B30 foodbank in Cotteridge which benefitted from advice from a Bournville based group of scientists and nutritionists.
Kelly Farrell, community affairs manager at Mondelēz International, said: “The community spirit and ethos of the Cadbury family is still very much at the heart of the company and our employees and we actively encourage them to make a positive impact on their local community, however big or small. The hours that were volunteered by employees last year will no doubt have made a big difference and we will work towards increasing our impact this year.”
