 |
|
|
5. Scoop Shops > Scoop Shop Community Action Ben & Jerry’s franchisees take great pride in being part of their community, and virtually all translate our Social Mission into action in their own unique ways. We love to hear about projects far and near, and when we add up all the various community initiatives, including product donations and paid employee time, the sum total of our franchisees’ efforts always boggles our mind. In all, Ben & Jerry’s franchisees directly contributed $636,669 worth of time, product, and money in support of local community projects in 2005 — and leveraged even more support for valuable projects around the country through their efforts. We’re thankful for the dedication and creativity of our franchisees when it comes to community action. Franchisee Highlights The full story of our franchisees’ community activities in 2005 would crash your computer, so here are just a few tidbits that caught our attention:
To learn more about the community activities of a Ben & Jerry’s franchisee near you, please use the local store locator on our Company website Scoop Shop page. Franchise Community Service Project Once a year, Ben & Jerry’s franchisees get together at the Annual Franchise Community Gathering to network and share best practices. In true Ben & Jerry’s style, the meeting traditionally kicks off with a community service project in partnership with a local nonprofit organization in the host city. We’ve rebuilt houses, cleaned beaches, spruced up a community center, and built playgrounds and skate parks in underserved communities over the years.
Company Store Our company stores continue to model the spirit of giving back through their community involvement and donations programs. In 2005, company stores in New York and Vermont contributed more than $15,000 worth of product and staff time in support of over 35 nonprofit agencies. Scooper Bowl In 2005, Ben & Jerry’s was once again able to send a team of scoopers from our South Burlington office down to Boston to participate in the Scooper Bowl, a gathering of ice cream companies and ice cream lovers joining together for a lot of ice cream in support of a good cause. The Vermont folks teamed up with franchisees from Rhode Island, Cape Cod and Boston to scoop more than 15,000 scoops of ice cream in all. The event raised $85,000 for the Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s children’s programs. |
|
In 2005, the Annual Franchise Community Gathering inspired about 250 franchisees and staff to work with the local Rotary Club and the Kezner Group (a hotel developer) on Grand Bahama to build a playground and mobilize for a massive beach cleanup. In all, Ben & Jerry’s donated about $30,000 for equipment costs and over 2,000 hours of labor to the effort.