ARAMARK Helps Create Safe Community Space for Miami's Homeless

MIAMI, May 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- At any given time, nearly 4,000 men, women and children in Miami-Dade and Broward counties are either living a dangerous life on the streets or in shelters like Miami Rescue Mission, Inc., which provides programs and resources for the homeless.

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Today, Miami Rescue Mission and more than 100 volunteers from global professional services company ARAMARK will celebrate their partnership by creating an ARAMARK Building Community Safe and Healthy Opportunity Zone, enhancing the general safety and comfort of the Miami Rescue Mission's kitchen and other facilities, and launching a series of kitchen safety classes including ServeSafe for center staff, who provide more than 1,200 meals to nearly 400 people every day.

"We're so grateful to ARAMARK volunteers for their long-term support," said Reverend Ron Brummitt, President of the Mission. "These improvements, along with all of the work by ARAMARK employees over the past four years, will help the homeless individuals and families we serve thrive by offering a safe and stable community place for health and wellness programs, ongoing education, basic needs services, and organized recreation for years to come."

ARAMARK volunteers will refurbish and renovate the center's kitchen, adding safety mats, food warmers, and storage racks; customize the clothing donation room with new bins and other organizing tools to help process the hundreds of pieces of clothing donated per year. They will also renovate the recreation room, including resurfacing the pool tables and replacing the carpets, to offer a safe place for youth to play.

"One of the most powerful aspects of ARAMARK Building Community are days like this when hundreds of employees come together," said Jim Yamauchi, Regional Vice President ARAMARK Business Dining. "These projects show we care, not just today, but all year; whether it's one of our chefs or dietitians helping Mission staff run a safe and healthy kitchen, a facilities employee replacing carpet, painting, and building tables, or our local managers delivering workforce education to community residents and offering career counseling. By offering our expertise, we create stronger communities and make working at ARAMARK much more than a job for our employees."

This effort is part of ARAMARK Building Community, the company's global volunteer and philanthropic program focused on strengthening local community centers and helping struggling families. Through ABC, employees use their culinary, hospitality, food and nutrition; facilities management; and human resources talents to make an impact on communities in need.

For the last several years, ARAMARK has partnered with the Miami Rescue Mission to educate families on how they can live healthier by hosting annual health and wellness fairs. Employee volunteers have also provided meals; installed a water filtration system; planned and organized holiday block parties for children and families and partnered with Tyson Foods to donate 30,000 pounds of chicken.

In 2012, ARAMARK employees will host more than 100 new volunteer projects worldwide, including creating 15 ABC Opportunity Zones. ARAMARK has invested more than $7 million in volunteer expertise, cash and in-kind resources to strengthen the capacity of local community centers in four countries.

About Miami Rescue Mission, Inc.

Since 1922, the Miami Rescue Mission Centers have served the homeless and needy men, women and children of Miami. Every day the organization provides food, shelter, clothing, education, job training, spiritual direction and long-term rehabilitation programs in Miami, Hollywood and Pompano. The mission also has an after-school and youth summer day camp program for at-risk children. For additional information about the Miami Rescue Mission, visit www.miamirescuemission.com. 

About ARAMARK Building Community

ARAMARK Building Community enriches the lives of families in need by supporting local community centers to help people of all generations learn, earn and thrive. ARAMARK recognizes the important role community centers play in addressing the comprehensive needs of individuals and families and is providing a range of resources including grants, volunteers and in-kind contributions. Since 2008, more than 15,000 ARAMARK employees have participated in over 500 volunteer activities. Nearly 3 million individuals and families served by community centers in nearly 50 cities have been aided by the program through workforce training and job placement; nutrition education and awareness programs; access to food and clothing; and by having a safer place to learn and thrive. Visit ARAMARK for more information. Please join us on Facebook.

About ARAMARK

ARAMARK is a leader in professional services, providing award-winning food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, parks and destinations and businesses around the world. The company is recognized as one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" by the Ethisphere Institute, one of the "World's Most Admired Companies" by FORTUNE magazine and one of America's Largest Private Companies by both FORTUNE and Forbes magazines. ARAMARK seeks to responsibly address issues that matter to its clients, customers, employees and communities by focusing on employee advocacy, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and community involvement. Headquartered in Philadelphia, ARAMARK has approximately 250,000 employees serving clients in 22 countries. Learn more at www.twitter.com/aramarknews.

Contact:
Mary Rucci, ARAMARK
215-238-7110

Casey Angel, Miami Rescue Mission
305-572-2040

SOURCE ARAMARK