ARAMARK Invests an Additional $1 million To Help People Get Healthy and Ready For Work

PHILADELPHIA, June 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ARAMARK, a global leader delivering food, facilities and uniform services, today announced it will invest an additional $1 million in grants, in-kind resources and volunteer support to continue to help vulnerable families improve their health, secure jobs and ultimately move from poverty to success through partnerships with local community centers.

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This ongoing commitment is part of ARAMARK Building Community, the company's strategic philanthropic and volunteer program. Through ARAMARK Building Community, the company partners with Families International, Inc. (FI), the largest network of local, independent community centers to enhance programs that provide vital resources and solutions to help people live healthy and productive lives. The investment will bring ARAMARK's total contribution to community centers to more than $8 million, impacting more than 3.5 million vulnerable children, adults and families in communities around the world.

"We are a people business and giving back to the communities where we live and work is part of who we are and part of our culture," said Eric Foss, ARAMARK CEO and President. "We work hard every day to demonstrate our commitment to building local communities. ARAMARK is uniquely positioned and committed to enriching and nourishing lives.  Having thousands of passionate employees so enthusiastic about serving their local communities is one of the attributes that makes our company so great."

Susan Dreyfus, President and CEO of Families International Inc. noted that it is vital for the public and private sectors to join together to be strong advocates for youth and families, and develop new and innovative ways to help them. Almost 23 million people in the U.S. remain unemployed or underemployed, and poverty continues to grip over 46 million Americans. At the same time, obesity and other nutrition-related chronic diseases are on the rise.

"ARAMARK's deep and long-term support allows community centers to work more collaboratively to integrate services that help people live healthier lives, find meaningful work and strengthen communities," she said.

Today, employee volunteers will partner with The Federation of Neighborhood Centers (FNC) in Philadelphia, an FI member, to establish long-lasting hubs for workforce readiness and health and wellness at two member community centers in Philadelphia and Camden, NJ.  

Key 2013 ARAMARK and Families International, Inc. Partnership Initiatives 

• The creation of the ARAMARK Building Community Academy, a forum that will enhance operational and program excellence for community centers. The Academy will provide community center professionals with online and in-person information and tools to increase their efficiency, effectiveness and capacity.  
• $500,000 in grants, plus in-kind donations supporting workforce readiness, health and wellness education and facilities enhancement programs. 
• The Peter B. Goldberg ARAMARK Building Community Executive Leadership Award, which honors one outstanding community center executive director or CEO for advocacy and leadership on behalf of the community center movement. The award comes with a $40,000 grant to the executive's community center.

Additional 2013 ARAMARK Building Community Initiatives 

• 11 large-scale ARAMARK Building Community volunteer events, from Dallas to Toronto, and in Dublin, Ireland. Hundreds of ARAMARK employees will create community hubs for health and wellness or workforce readiness in partnership with the national youth service organization City Year.
• Nearly 100 additional volunteer projects focused on helping people in vulnerable neighborhoods succeed.

Since 2008, more than 18,000 ARAMARK employees have participated in over 500 volunteer projects in 52 cities around the world. Dietitians and chefs teach cooking classes and provide nutrition information, human resources professionals help people prepare resumes, practice interviewing, and learn new skills, and facilities managers  help create inviting and inspiring community gathering places.

About ARAMARK Building Community
ARAMARK Building Community enriches lives by helping families improve their health, secure jobs and move out of poverty. Through ARAMARK Building Community, employee volunteers lend their nutrition, culinary, job readiness and facilities management expertise to ensure people can succeed. Visit ARAMARK for more information. Please join us on Facebook.

About ARAMARK 
ARAMARK delivers experiences that enrich and nourish people's lives through innovative food, facility, and uniform services. Our more than 250,000 employees around the world demonstrate our corporate responsibility values every day, and we are recognized among the Most Admired Companies by Fortune and World's Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute.  Learn more at www.aramark.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Families International, Inc.
FI is the largest network of local, independent community centers and serves as the parent organization for three nonprofit organizations—the Alliance for Children and Families, United Neighborhood Centers of America (UNCA), and Ways to Work.

Contact: Mary Rucci, ARAMARK
215-238-7110

SOURCE ARAMARK