While fashions abound here, the matching red T-shirts that Levi Strauss & Co. employees don today may just be the coolest look they rock all year.
That’s because giving back never goes out of style – and those T-shirts mark the arrival of Community Day, an eagerly anticipated annual tradition that sends LS&Co. employees around the globe into their communities to volunteer.
Since Community Day started 17 years ago, employees have donated more than 700,000 hours of their time to a wide variety of nonprofits, and worked on more than 1,700 projects, strengthening the communities around them.
This year the theme is inclusivity, because LS&Co. employees believe it is more important than ever to promote an equitable society for all. Many of the volunteer projects will focus on organizations that are fighting for justice and change for our most marginalized populations.
Pastor Michael McBride, a social justice advocate and deep believer in the importance of creating common ground, will visit the San Francisco headquarters to inspire employees in their quest to contribute. Pastor Mike, as he is known, is a member of the Levi Strauss Foundation’s Pioneers 2020, a group of Bay Area community leaders who are working together to mobilize voices for change across different sectors of the social justice movement. He has spoken out for the need to heal the deep divisions in our society through increased empathy; actively listening to other points of view; and community service.
“We shouldn’t take for granted how small, local acts of compassion and love can create momentum across the city, state and country,” he said.
Here is a snapshot at how LS&Co. employees will be impacting their local communities this year:
- In Brussels, employees will continue to contribute their time volunteering with refugee center Convivial
- In Mexico City, they will work with a shelter for immigrants, Casa Alianza Mexico, helping to supply them with food, clothes, blankets and medicine.
- In New York, they will help out at SAGE (Services & Advocacy for Gay Lesbian Bisexual & Transgender Elders), running a bingo event for SAGE clients and sharing a meal with them to help overcome social isolation – a pressing problem in the community.
- Here in San Francisco, employees will volunteer with Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus, assisting with projects like a letter-writing campaign to immigrants in the community, and the American Civil Liberties Union, canvassing on the street to let the public know about the important work that ACLU does.
- In Frankfurt, employees will be helping out at Pro Asyl, an organization that helps refugees with legal issues, as well as integrating into society and finding jobs.
- In Plock, Poland, volunteers will turn jeans into an artistic statement, making wall hangings that symbolize equality.
Community Day is one way we are committed to carrying on the legacy of Levi Strauss, who incorporated community engagement into the bedrock of the company when he founded it more than 150 years ago.
Want to see what employees are doing on Community Day? Follow #levigivesback to see stories from around the world.
