What happens when you partner motivated people, a great cause and community spirit? You get a huge result, like the more than 2,000 pounds of food a group of West Michigan companies recently donated to Kids’ Food Basket, a nonprofit organization.
Employment Professionals along with its franchise location in Grand Rapids also donated $5,000 to Kids’ Food Basket, which focuses on fighting childhood hunger in West Michigan. Express Employment Professionals of Grand Rapids also partnered with Kids’ Food Basket for Brand it Blue Day, a national day of volunteerism across all Express Franchises.
The donation is part of The Impact Project, an initiative of Express Employment Professionals philanthropic committee, designed to give back to nonprofits nominated by franchisees among their more than 760 franchise locations.
“We pride ourselves on having a culture built on giving and service at Express,” Bob Funk, CEO and chairman of the board of Express Employment Professionals, said in a statement. “With that in mind, we know how important it is to support the communities where we work, serve and live. The dedication and support that owner Janis Petrini and her office have shown for Kids’ Food Basket is a great example of that service.
Kids’ Food Basket provides meals for more than 7,000 children each week in Western Michigan through their Sack Supper program. The nonprofit also empowers children to help each other through volunteer and educational programs. One-third of the hours volunteered at Kids’ Food Basket are provided by youths under 18 years old.
“I’m honored to be a part of a company that believes so strongly in giving back to the communities where we live,” Petrini said. “Kids’ Food Basket holds a special place in the heart of our team at Express and we’re excited they were selected as one of the charities to receive this donation and that we can partner with them for Brand it Blue Day this year.”
The month-long food drive brought 18 companies together under the “Brand It Blue” slogan. Participating companies included Custom Profile Inc., Labeltape Inc., Gordon Manufacturing Co., Vi-Chem Corporation, Davis Dental Lab, Richwood Industries, Johnstone Supply, Advantage Label & Packaging, Turnkey Network Solutions Inc., Medbio Inc. and Feyen Zylstra.
The Grand Rapids Express Employment Professionals franchise began operation in 1996 and serves the Greater Grand Rapids Area. On behalf of both job candidates and client employers, Express Employment Professionals provides a unique blend of personalized service with proven knowledge and capabilities for supporting individual employment and company success.
