Newell Rubbermaid announced a two year, $1 million partnership with Habitat for Humanity International last month. Newell Rubbermaid employees around the world participated in the first-ever Global Day of Service on June 19 to share their time and talents to improve the communities where they live and work by building new homes for low-income families.
“Through our brands and our people, Newell Rubbermaid has long been committed to enriching the lives of the consumers and the communities we serve,” said Michael Polk, President and Chief Executive Officer of Newell Rubbermaid. “This is a day our employees can all be proud as we take a step back from our daily routine to share our passion for our brands and bring them to life through this new partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Collectively, when we each give a little we can help our communities gain a lot.”
Newell Rubbermaid’s commitment to Habitat for Humanity includes not only volunteer hours, but also cash and gifts-in-kind from its portfolio of brands, including Irwin®, Rubbermaid® and Rubbermaid Commercial Products®. The company will also launch a cause marketing campaign benefitting Habitat later this year.
This year, the first Global Day of Service saw 1,200 volunteers at 73 sites in 21 countries donate their time to building Habitat homes. The Global Day of Service will continue to include projects in locations around the world, including more than 40 volunteer sites in the United States, as well as locations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Australia. The day of service is designed to demonstrate the company’s commitment to helping improve the communities it serves. Newell Rubbermaid employees will donate their time and talents to bring the company’s purpose of helping people to flourish where they live, work and play to life. Employees will be working alongside families to build, paint, landscape and weatherize homes as part of Habitat’s A Brush with Kindness program, and they will also volunteer at Habitat ReStore resale outlets and participate in other local service projects.
“We are deeply grateful for Newell Rubbermaid’s commitment to our mission to create safe, decent, affordable housing with low-income families,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “We are honored to be their first global nonprofit partner, and we are excited about their plans to involve employees and provide resources for our work. Together we will be able to help more families around the world live in decent homes they can afford.”
Throughout the Global Day of Service, employees will share experiences as they volunteer with Habitat to improve their communities. To see real-time updates of employee volunteers in action globally via photos, videos and posts, from Melbourne to Shanghai, to Geneva, Sao Paulo and Atlanta, visit www.NewellRubbermaid.com.
Habitat for Humanity International is a global nonprofit Christian housing organization that aims to bring people together to build homes, communities and hope. Since 1976, Habitat has served more than 600,000 families through constructing, rehabilitating or preserving homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. For more information on Habitat, or to donate or volunteer, please visit www.Habitat.org.