[cz_image id=”cz_21953″ image=”14890″][/cz_image][cz_title id=”cz_33964″]We just wrapped up our annual office food drive, benefiting Utah Food Bank. We have participated in the Summer Business Food and Fund Drive since 2011, but this year presented some unique challenges. Despite this, we were proud to present Utah Food Bank with the donations made by our generous employees. During our 2020 drive, employees throughout our Utah branches donated over $15,600 dollars, 6,665 food items, and volunteered for a collective 151 hours. In the Las Vegas branch employees donated over $1,100 and 270 food items to Three Square Food Bank.

 

Our 2020 drive has been different from years past due to the Coronavirus outbreak, but our employees still enthusiastically participated in any way they could. The economic fallout of the pandemic meant a significant increase in the need for Utah Food Bank’s services. In fact, according to Utah Food Bank, they saw a 197% in households served versus the same period last year. It’s always our goal to make sure no child goes hungry in Utah.

 

Volunteering in the Utah Food Bank warehouse has always been a favorite way to participate in the Summer Business Food and Fund Drive. This year, employees were able to put on their masks and help assemble food boxes for senior citizens in need.[/cz_title][cz_gap height=”25px”]

[cz_image id=”cz_83906″ image=”14893″][/cz_image][cz_gap height=”25px”][cz_image id=”cz_22276″ image=”14894″][/cz_image][cz_gap height=”25px”][cz_title id=”cz_58614″ cz_title=””]Each Tuesday during our food drive, employees were encouraged to donate specific items, and they really pulled through every time. It resulted in our offices overflowing with items like macaroni and cheese, cereal, tuna, peanut butter, canned fruits and veggies, and more. It was exciting to see the amount of these items that were donated.[/cz_title][cz_image id=”cz_54798″ image=”14895″][/cz_image][cz_title id=”cz_52210″ cz_title=””]We love seeing how willing everyone is to contribute to the important work Utah Food Bank does, and hope to continue this tradition for a long time.[/cz_title]

[cz_title id=”cz_66813″ cz_title=””]For most people, summer is a time for fun and relaxation. Unfortunately for some kids and their families, summer means worrying about whether there will be enough to eat. With many children losing access to school lunch and breakfast programs, more families make emergency food requests to help stretch their budgets. That’s why Les Olson Company is proud to sponsor Utah Food Bank’s annual Summer Business Food & Fund Drive, to encourage businesses and community groups across Utah to host their own food and fund drives during this critical time of need.

 

In addition to Les Olson Company’s sponsorship, our wonderful employees gave generously to Utah Food Bank by donating food, time, and money during our office food drive. Together they were able to donate over $24,000 and 4,000 food items. In addition, they volunteered over for 360 collective hours in Utah Food Bank’s warehouse and making food deliveries to senior citizens.[/cz_title]

[cz_gap height=”25px”][cz_image id=”cz_13376″ image=”11044″][/cz_image][cz_gap height=”25px”][cz_image id=”cz_56330″ image=”11043″][/cz_image]

[cz_image id=”cz_92085″ image=”1895″][/cz_image][cz_gap height=”25px”][cz_title id=”cz_68475″ cz_title=””]Since 2011, Les Olson Company has participated in Utah Food Bank‘s Summer Business Food & Fund Drive by hosting a company-wide food drive and encouraging employees to participate during the summer months. In 2013, Les Olson Company became the official sponsor of the Summer Business Food & Fund Drive.

 

Our partnership with Utah Food Bank began when we were made aware of the issue of childhood hunger intensifying during the summer months when school is out. A lot of us are much more inclined to donate our time and money during the holiday season when the sharp contrast between those who are well off and those who aren’t is most clear. But during the summer, many kids who rely on school lunch and breakfast, don’t know where their next meal will come from.

 

We believe strongly that it’s our responsibility to improve the communities we do business in, and we made the Summer Business Food Drive a big part of that mission. For the past four years, Les Olson Company employees have been encouraged to donate food, time and money to the Utah Food Bank. Each year, it’s exciting to see our total donations increase and even more exciting to see how it impacts Utah Food Bank in their ability to help those in need around the state of Utah. In our Las Vegas branch, employees donate similarly to Three Square Food Bank to ensure their donations stay in the state of Nevada and in some of our branches, donations were taken directly to local food pantries.[/cz_title][cz_gap height=”25px”][cz_title id=”cz_68756″ cz_title=””]

FOOD

This year Les Olson Company employees donated a total of 14,586 Food Items. Employees were encouraged to bring in items that are most needed by the food bank including peanut butter, canned meats, canned fruits, and canned vegetables. Many employees even went the extra mile to host their own food drives within their neighborhoods to maximize their food donations. Collection barrels in each of our offices overflowed with food donations and even had to be emptied halfway through the drive, only to be filled again.[/cz_title][cz_gap height=”25px”][cz_image id=”cz_54262″ image=”1887″][/cz_image][cz_gap height=”25px”][cz_title id=”cz_105797″ cz_title=””]

TIME

Each year, one of the most popular ways to give is by volunteering time. Some employees spent time working in Utah Food Bank‘s Warehouse, sorting food, putting together food boxes and working in food rescue. Others made food deliveries to senior citizens or worked distributing food to people who came to their mobile pantry.

 

Employees in our other branches volunteered their time at various local food pantries, including Three Square Food Bank, Cache Community Pantry, Community Action Services and more. We always hear great things about the experiences our employees have giving their time to these great organizations. Along with their friends and families, our employees volunteer a total of 435 combined hours.[/cz_title][cz_gap height=”25px”]

[cz_gap height=”25px”][cz_title id=”cz_107822″ cz_title=””]

MONEY

And perhaps one of the most exciting parts of our food drive is the amount of money that was donated. This year especially, our employees have been incredibly generous in donating their hard-earned money. Some donated cash, some wrote checks and some made payroll deductions. It all added up to $28,199 to help fight hunger. We are extremely happy about this because Utah Food Bank has incredible purchasing power and will be able to make this money stretch far and wide to help the people that need it most.

 

If you’ve never been involved with donating food, time or money to your local food bank – we highly recommend it. There are so many rewarding experiences to be had and each year our business improves as employees are unified behind one important cause. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Utah Food Bank and all of the local food pantries doing important work from Logan to Las Vegas.[/cz_title]

[cz_image id=”cz_18096″ image=”9473″][/cz_image][cz_gap height=”25px”][cz_title id=”cz_26891″ cz_title=””]Les Olson Company has been going strong for almost 60 years; we feel blessed that the communities we live and work in have embraced us and helped us to thrive. We feel a responsibility to return the favor by supporting organizations that help to improve these communities, and supporting our friends at the Utah Food Bank and other local food pantries has become a big part of that effort.

 

This summer we had the honor of being the official sponsor of the Utah Food Bank‘s Summer Business Food Drive for the 2nd year in a row. In conjunction, we held our 4th annual Summer Business Food Drive, encouraging our employees to give time, food and money to the Utah Food Bank and Three Square Food Bank in Las Vegas.

 

We were astonished at what our employees were willing to do to help these great organizations. We more than doubled our original goal! A big part of that was giving employees a variety of ways to participate whether it was volunteering their time, cleaning out their pantries or donating money from their paychecks. Many employees donated in every possible way. The other reason for our success? Beards.

 

While the company policy has recently been updated to allow beards, growing facial hair has long been against company policy since the company was founded in 1956. So how did beards play into this year’s food drive? We allowed employees to grow beards from June to August in exchange for a donation to the food drive. Almost every male employee took advantage of this rare treat. But it wasn’t just the men who enthusiastically participated, in fact, almost every employee participated.

 

TIME

One of the most fulfilling ways our employees contributed was by volunteering their time at the Utah Food Bank and Three Square Food Bank. Many employees went multiple times, took their friends and families and set up times to go with their co-workers. This turned out to be a great bonding experience and team-building activity. Some sorted canned goods and some put together food packages while others sifted through store rescue items. We volunteered a combined total of 387 hours! That goes a long way to help these organizations that have to run as lean as possible – relying on volunteers and very few paid employees.

 

We’re looking forward to continuing this tradition next year and for many years to come.[/cz_title][cz_gap height=”25px”]

[cz_gap height=”25px”][cz_title id=”cz_96657″ cz_title=””]

MONEY

Most employees deducted donations from their paychecks or brought in cash and checks. Some employees even brought in monetary donations from their friends, neighbors, customers and families. Collectively we donated $25,322.00, a significant amount of money to help the Utah Food Bank and Three Square Food Bank purchase food for those in need. The Utah Food Bank has such great buying power that they can turn every dollar donated into $8 worth of food and services, making money a most valuable donation.

 

FOOD

Food barrels were placed around each of our locations and just a few days into the food drive they were overflowing with much needed items like peanut butter, tuna fish and other canned goods. The Utah Food Bank had to empty the food barrels in our Salt Lake Office just a couple of weeks into our food drive because they were too full, which is never a bad thing. 9,637 food items were donated!

 

We even set up a booth at each of our company summer parties to collect donations in exchange for raffle tickets, which was a great success. By the end of the food drive we were amazed with the results and happy to be able to help feed hungry families in our community. As the food drive came to an end, food barrels were picked up from each branch location and delivered to the nearest community pantry and we delivered both a symbolic and actual check to the Utah Food Bank.

 

We’re looking forward to continuing this tradition next year and for many years to come.[/cz_title][cz_gap height=”25px”]