In underserved communities, health and wellness issues as well as unemployment and underemployment continue to grow and contribute to critical social problems. Through Aramark Building Community, our global volunteer and philanthropic program, we seek to address these important community needs.

On the local level, our employees “adopt” community centers and build strong, sustainable partnerships, matching skills and passion to the needs of the neighborhood:

• Our chefs and dietitians teach the relationship between diet and wellness, extending Healthy For Life™ commitment into our communities. 
• Our human resources professionals link adults and teens with information and hands-on training to prepare them to find and keep good jobs. 
• We volunteer to create safe, efficient, inspiring community center environments.   

In addition to the relationships with our employees and more than 50 community center organizations are strategic partnerships with national non-profit organizations, The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and City Year.

Through these partnerships we connect to important community organizations on the local level, and enable meaningful and impactful volunteer experiences for our employees. 

Since 2008, we have invested nearly $9 million in volunteer expertise, financial and in-kind resources to strengthen the capacity of more than 100 local community centers in 52 cities, involving the skills and expertise of more than 35,000 employees and impacting over 4.5 million people.

Philanthropic support is a core part of our community involvement efforts. Financial and in-kind donations are essential in helping nonprofit organizations sustain programs and meet their missions. 

We connect our philanthropic support to both our mission of enriching and nourishing lives and to our expertise. Nutrition and health and wellness are priorities in our thousands of food service locations. Helping people find meaningful work is also a focus for us. We hire thousands of people every year and we’re connected to growing industries, like hospitality, healthcare, education and leisure.

We are committed to making a meaningful impact by:

• Helping People Succeed through Education and Employment
  Supporting skill development and training to enable low-income youth and adults to achieve economic independence and support their families.
• Empowering People To Lead Healthier Lives
  Impacting community health and wellness by helping children and families choose nutritious foods and adopt healthy lifestyles.

Approximately 75 percent of our philanthropic resources are dedicated to addressing these issues. We contribute approximately $9 million annually to nonprofit organizations through the Aramark Charitable Fund, corporate contributions and our businesses.

Most of our giving is in the U.S. and focused in key cities, like our headquarters city of Philadelphia. We invest in organizations that we can build strategic and long-term partnerships with - organizations that have expertise with proven programs and can also drive innovative new programs. We support the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Healthy Weight Initiative, the United Way, the Urban league of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Academies and several other civic and arts organizations dedicated to a strong, vibrant city.