Making a difference: Alumni take time to give back for Kellogg Cares Day

This fall, Kellogg alumni and other community members lent their hands to staff food banks, cleaned up riverbanks and gave thanks in their communities at more than 20 Kellogg Cares Day (KCD) events.

The 17 U.S. gatherings covered causes that included packing meals for the homeless, tending nature habitats and even restoring shorelines in the wake of Orca Recovery Day in the Seattle area.

Don Porth ’94 MBA, a Kellogg Alumni Council member, has led the Seattle KCD event for the past three years. Their efforts are aimed at improving the salmon habitat on the Green River with the Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group.

It’s an important case because habitat loss, climate change and increased pollution have made it harder than ever for migrating salmon to journey home and spawn. That in turn impacts an orca population that numbers about 2,500 in the North Pacific Ocean.

Porth said he really appreciates his alma mater “supporting and funding the expansion of Kellogg Cares because it has given alums an opportunity to give back to the community and get to know other local Kellogg graduates.”

The KCD participants shared one characteristic: immense gratitude. “Passing along the many blessings we have received is an honor, and to do it with like-minded alumni made it even more special," said Jennifer Padgitt ’06 MBA, a first-time KCD event leader in Minneapolis.

In the Twin Cities area, Kellogg alumni served the Second Harvest Heartland hunger relief agency. That non-profit works with 464 agency partners and more than 780 programs across 59 Minnesota and western Wisconsin counties, providing food for needy families and advocating for systemic change connected to food equity.  

Was this heartfelt heartland work for the Kellogg squad? Yes, yet also a great time. "It was so much fun pitching in to pack onions, beans and food to support people in need in our local community,” Padgitt said. “We even discovered a local Kellogg alumna working there," which came as a surprise to her crew.

KCD also included five international events in locations from Guatemala City to Hong Kong, where several dozen volunteers gathered for a beach cleanup at Sandy Bay, about 30 minutes west of downtown.

“The KCD Hong Kong event was a great success,“ said Dicky Kwok, a Kellogg staff member who helped coordinate the Shenzhen Bay Park cleanup. “Despite our busy work lives and focus on business, it's a wonderful way to give back to the community and contribute positively to society.”

In Illinois, three events took place in the Chicagoland area. Other states taking part included Texas (Houston and Dallas) and California (Los Angeles and San Francisco). Rounding out the KCD list were Miami, Milwaukee, Nashville, New York City, Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City, along with Lowell, Arkansas and Pawtucket, Rhode Island. 

Internationally, Bangalore and Singapore also participated in Kellogg Cares Day. Along with those mentioned above, these sponsoring organizations made the volunteer efforts possible: 

U.S. Kellogg Cares Day events: 

• Better Angels, supporting the homeless (Los Angeles). 
• Big Shoulders Fund, supporting schools with demonstrated need (Chicago).
• Clean Miami Beach, maintaining the local community’s natural habitats free of garbage and harmful pollutants.
• Cornerstone Crossroads Academy, a non-profit school for children living in poverty and homelessness (Dallas).
• ELISHA Project Share Market, a drive-up food distribution program (Pawtucket).
• The Evans at Canal Shores, a non-profit golf facility in Evanston, Illinois.
• God's Love We Deliver, alleviating hunger and malnutrition among those with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses (NYC). 
• Houston Food Bank, distributes food and other essentials to those in need through a network of more than 1,600 community partners.
• Hunger Task Force, Wisconsin’s leading anti-hunger organization that works with several organizations nationwide to share best practices, lend resources and learn more about ending hunger (Milwaukee).
• The Giving Garden at Franklin First United Methodist Church, distributes more than 40,000 pounds of produce each year to hundreds of people in the local community who may not have access to healthy produce (Nashville).
• Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, works to ensure that anyone who needs a healthy meal can get one.
• Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, a non-profit organization dedicated to making sure children, families, and communities across Northwest Arkansas don't face hunger.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities, provides families with the support they need to be near and care for their seriously ill or injured children (Salt Lake City).
• Sarah’s Circle, operates a drop-in Daytime Support Center, a 50-bed Interim Housing program, a Rapid Rehousing program and a growing number of Permanent Supportive Housing units (Chicago).
• Surfrider Foundation, supports clean water and beaches (San Francisco).

International Kellogg Cares Day events:     

• Ayúdame a Ayudar, aids vulnerable communities (Guatemala City).
• Blue Up, a water, shoreline and sea life conservation group (Shenzhen).
• Clean Shorelines, part of the Environmental Protection Department of the Hong Kong Government. 
• National University of Singapore Toddycats!, supports biological conservation, education and research (Singapore)
• Parikrma Humanity Foundation, provides free education to children from underserved communities (Bangalore).