Aramark’s Global Day of Service Focuses on Students and Families, Adapts to Pandemic

Earlier this month, Aramark volunteers participated in Aramark Building Community Day, an annual global day of service that demonstrates the company’s year round commitment to enriching and nourishing people’s lives.

Since 2008, more than 70,000 Aramark employees have volunteered their time and talent to support Aramark Building Community projects, impacting more than five million children and families in underserved communities around the world. Because of the pandemic this year, however, the company revamped the annual day of service to ensure safety while maximizing impact.

“We are proud of everything our teams are doing to support our local communities throughout this incredibly challenging year. While we weren’t able to celebrate Aramark Building Community Day in person this year, we continued to Care. Give. Do. by working closely with our community partners to allocate funding and supplies where they are needed for pandemic relief, food insecurity, or other community projects,” said John Zillmer, Aramark’s Chief Executive Officer.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL EUCATIONAL SUPPORT

This year, Aramark Building Community Day focused on supporting school students who are learning in unprecedented times and helping students’ families in tangible ways tied to health, wellness and education.

In Chicago, Aramark volunteers and SMART health clinic personnel at several Chicago Public Schools locations distributed more than 3,000 back-to-school bags with pencils, pens, notebooks, rulers, hand sanitizer, personal hygiene items and headphones, so students can better focus on learning at home.

In Pickens County, Alabama, Aramark distributed supplies including alcohol wipes, hand sanitizer, disposable masks and hand soap to about 1,700 students returning to the classroom.

GLOBAL GRANTS

Aramark is disbursing grants through their partnership with Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, a network of global community centers. The grants will benefit more than 105,000 people by providing pandemic relief, back-to-school prep, access to healthy food and more in 60 cities in the US, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Canada and South Korea.

OTHER DONATIONS

• Five Aramark Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) coordinated donations to a portfolio of community partners across the US. For example, Aramark Rising Sun ERG donated to Indigenous Works and Aramark Pride supported the William Way LGBT Community Center.
• Aramark Supply Chain donated hand sanitizer to a Miami nonprofit agency for kids going back to school.
• Aramark Uniforms donated 250,000 face masks to the American Red Cross to protect workers and volunteer donors during blood drives.

“Building local communities has been a long-standing priority and remains one of the focus areas of Be Well. Do Well., our plan to positively impact people and the planet,” said Jami Leveen, Vice President of Community Partnerships. “Right now, it’s more important than ever to find ways to give back and support our mission to build local communities, reduce inequality and increase access to educational opportunities for children and families.”

About Aramark Building Community

Aramark has invested tens of millions of dollars in expertise, financial and in-kind resources to strengthen communities through Aramark Building Community, the company’s commitment to build local communities and help people succeed through education and employment. Since its inception in 2008, more than 70,000 Aramark employees have volunteered their time and talent to support Aramark Building Community projects, impacting more than five million children and families in underserved communities. Learn more at http://www.aramark.com/responsibility.

About Aramark

Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) proudly serves the world’s leading educational institutions, Fortune 500 companies, world champion sports teams, prominent healthcare providers, iconic destinations and cultural attractions, and numerous municipalities in 19 countries around the world. We deliver innovative experiences and services in food, facilities management and uniforms to millions of people every day. We strive to create a better world by making a positive impact on people and the planet, including commitments to engage our employees; empower healthy consumers; build local communities; source ethically, inclusively and responsibly; operate efficiently and reduce waste. Aramark is recognized as a Best Place to Work by the Human Rights Campaign (LGBTQ+), DiversityInc, Equal Employment Publications and the Disability Equality Index. Learn more at www.aramark.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Image 1: In Chicago, Aramark volunteers and SMART health clinic personnel at several Chicago Public Schools locations distributed more than 3,000 back-to-school bags with pencils, pens, notebooks, rulers, hand sanitizer, personal hygiene items and headphones, so students can better focus on learning at home.

Image 2: In Pickens County, Alabama, Aramark partnered with SMART Health Clinics to deliver student health supplies including alcohol wipes, hand sanitizer, disposable masks and hand soap to about 1,700 students returning to the classroom.

Aramark

Aramark

Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) proudly serves the world’s leading educational institutions, Fortune 500 companies, world champion sports teams, prominent healthcare providers, iconic destinations and cultural attractions, and numerous municipalities in 18 countries around the world with food and facilities management. Because of our hospitality culture, our employees strive to do great things for each other, our partners, our communities, and the planet. Aramark has been recognized on FORTUNE’s list of “World’s Most Admired Companies,” DiversityInc’s “Top 50 Companies for Diversity” and “Top Companies for Supplier Diversity,” Newsweek’s list of “America’s Most Responsible Companies 2023,” the HRC’s “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality,” and scored 100% on the Disability Equality Index. Learn more at www.aramark.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Instagram.

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