Nestlé Marks 150th Anniversary with 150 Community Events Nationwide
Aug 5, 2016
Nestlé Purina joins the #Nestle150for150 celebration
Celebrating #Nestle150for150 on Aug. 4, 2016, Nestlé Purina volunteer Cori Jurgensmeyer plays with Effie, a dog available for adoption at Gateway Pet Guardians in St. Louis.
On August 4, 2016, Nestlé in the U.S. embarked on its largest single day of organized community service in celebration of its 150th anniversary. Honoring the 120 hometowns in 47 states in which Nestlé businesses operate in the U.S., the company brought its longstanding commitment to "Good Food, Good Life" to more than 150 different community events nationwide. #Nestlé150for150 unites more than 6,000 employees with more than 100 nonprofit organizations for a day dedicated to service.
"Having a positive impact on the communities where we live and work has always been at the heart of Nestlé's journey, and there's no better way to celebrate our 150th anniversary than by working to create healthy communities and truly exemplify our motto of 'Good Food, Good Life,'" said Paul Grimwood, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé USA. "Nestlé employees work together every day to fulfill our promise of becoming a leader in nutrition, health and wellness, and today we bring that same spirit into our home towns."
In support of #Nestlé150for150, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) hosted National Fitness Competition events at Clubs around the country. The National Fitness Competition, which is nationally sponsored by Nestlé, is a health and wellness program that inspires kids and teens to achieve tangible fitness goals. The largest event of the day brings together more than 200 kids and teens from Boys & Girls Clubs in Pasadena, Burbank, Venice and Long Beach, California, alongside Nestlé volunteers to participate in a "gold medal" themed National Fitness Competition at the Rose Bowl Stadium. In keeping with the spirit of the summer games -- which begin August 5 -- renowned Olympic champions and track and field athletes Jackie Joyner-Kersee andGail Devers, both proud Boys & Girls Clubs alumnae, are joining the event to set a positive example for area youth – and Club members around the country – to lead a life of health and wellness.
"Learning about the importance of health and wellness at a young age, and practicing healthy habits early in life, will put our kids and teens on the path to a great future," said Jim Clark, president & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. "We are grateful to partners like Nestlé who help to support critical health and wellness programming – like the National Fitness Competition – for our young people at Boys & Girls Clubs around the country."
In addition to events with Boys & Girls Clubs, Nestlé locations across the U.S. are continuing to work with their longstanding local nonprofit and charitable partners for #Nestlé150for150. Examples include:
- Working with Gateway Pet Guardians dog shelter in St. Louis, Mo. to socialize and care for the shelter dogs and perform cleaning and general maintenance around the facility.
- Hosting a habitat restoration and waterway clean-up at the Mill River in Stamford, Conn. to remove trash from the river.
- Constructing a school garden at 42nd Street Elementary School in Los Angeles, Calif., continuing its long-standing relationship with the very first school to be adopted nearly 24 years ago as part of Nestlé's Adopt-A-School program.
As Nestlé celebrates its 150th anniversary, it continues to make strides to become the world's leading nutrition, health and wellness company and to create a more sustainable future for its employees and consumers. In its recently-released 2015 Creating Shared Value report, Nestlé outlined strong progress against goals and new forward-looking commitments in nutrition, health and wellness; environmental sustainability; water; rural development and responsible sourcing; and social impact. #Nestlé150for150 also connects to Nestlé's global initiative called "United For Healthier Kids," which works with numerous partners worldwide - including governments, NGOs, health institutes, and sports federations - to raise nutrition and health knowledge and promote physical activity among school-age children around the world.