NASSAU, Bahamas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At first glance, the clean up effort had absolutely nothing to do with ice cream. The hot Nassau sun beat down on the hundreds of volunteers. The sweat, soil and a few bruises did nothing to dissuade the blue-shirt clad workers’ support for the global community. In the end, it was just business as usual for a day in the life of a Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop owner.
Keeping true to the company’s social mission and the belief that there’s more to business that the bottom line, over 200 Ben & Jerry’s franchisees, managers, staff and friends gathered on Friday to help rehabilitate two separate underserved recreational areas for children while in the Bahamas for their annual Global Franchise Meeting.
Working with the U.S. Embassy to coordinate logistics, Ben & Jerry’s chose two project locations: Father Marshall Cooper Park, a popular but run-down commons, and the Woodcock Primary School, a public institution that serves over 400 children which previously had no playground equipment.
Waist-high students gathered and watched in anticipation – the boys with crisp dress shirts and ties, the girls in pleated skirts – as the school was repainted and refurbished. All eyes watched eagerly for the final completion of the playground. The celebration kicked off with a community ice cream party hosted by company cofounder Jerry Greenfield and ended with a crescendo via a Junkanoo performance by the Woodcock Primary School.
“This activity is as good for us as a company, as it is for those we help out,” said Greenfield who seemed comfortable in the chaos of school kids screaming and bouncing happily on the new hallowed playground. “Businesses not only have the opportunity, but – we believe – the responsibility to give back to their communities. Our franchisees make this happen every day in their communities, too.” Greenfield praised the U.S. Embassy for helping make the project possible working hand in hand with Ben & Jerry’s planners.
The group working at Father Marshall Cooper Park focused on picking up trash, repairing and painting old playground equipment, spreading sand in the play areas, and painting a perimeter wall and doing some neighborhood clean-up. Similarly, the group working at Woodcock Primary School spread sand, landscaped, gave several spaces a fresh coat of paint, and installed new playground equipment donated by Ben & Jerry’s and the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort.
The staff returned to the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort to discuss the newest 2012 flavors, marketing, and social mission programs, as well as to award those best in class performers of 2011.
About Ben & Jerry’s
Ben & Jerry’s produces a wide variety of super-premium ice cream and ice cream novelties, using high-quality ingredients including milk and cream from family farmers who do not treat their cows with the synthetic hormone rBGH. The company states its position on rBGH* on its labels. Ben and Jerry’s products are distributed nationwide and in selected foreign countries in supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, franchise Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops, restaurants and other venues. Ben & Jerry’s, a Vermont corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of Unilever, operates its business on a three-part Mission Statement emphasizing product quality, economic reward and a commitment to the community. Contributions made via the employee led Ben & Jerry’s Foundation in 2009 totaled over $1.7 million. Additionally, the company makes significant product donations to community groups and nonprofits both in Vermont and across the nation. The purpose of Ben & Jerry’s philanthropy is to support the founding values of the company: economic and social justice, environmental restoration and peace through understanding, and to support our Vermont communities. For the full scoop on all Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop locations and fabulous flavors, visit www.benjerry.com.
* The FDA has said no significant difference has been shown and no test can now distinguish between milk from rBGH treated cows and untreated cows. Not all the suppliers of our other ingredients can promise that the milk they use comes from untreated cows.
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