Companies that care: Spotlight on Quaker Oats

When I eat my hearty bowl of Quaker Oats oatmeal in the morning, I feel good knowing that it's healthy and gives me nourishment to jumpstart my day. Now that I know more about the company's dedication to social responsibility and their great programs addressing kids and hunger, that oatmeal truly does warm the body and soul.

Here is a description from HandOn's list of socially conscious companies to watch:

Worldwide, Quaker is recognized for its commitment to health, families and communities.  Through its partnership with Kids Care Clubs, Quaker has awarded more than $70,000 in grants in 43 cities to help youth volunteers bring good moments to more than 25,000 people in need through various volunteer projects across the country. In addition, Quaker helped Kids Care inspire more than 575 youth volunteerism advocates to start Kids Care Clubs in their communities.  During MLK Day and Kids Care Week, children hosted a Quaker Birthday Party with a Purpose to provide young do-gooders and their moms with the tools to make a positive difference through youth volunteerism.

I interviewed Candace Mueller, Quaker Oats Spokesperson, to find out more about how they really do put wholesome goodness in everything they do, even their volunteer programs.

Sokunthea: Choosing the right cause is critical for companies that want to leverage their resources and employees. How do you identify the causes your employees and company care about?

Candace: Quaker has a rich heritage of caring for the community, and making meaningful contributions. We're proud to continue this tradition through our partnership with Kids Care Clubs, supporting the organization's mission to raise compassionate, community-minded kids. Youth volunteerism is on the rise in the United States, with as many as 55 percent of youth reporting that they volunteer,1 but still, moms are looking for convenient ways to get their kids involved. Through our partnership with Kids Care Clubs, Quaker is teaching kids about volunteering at a young age to help them develop this life-long skill.

Sokunthea: What is Quaker's greatest challenge in terms of corporate social responsibility?

Candace: Each year we are presented with hundreds of requests and proposals from dedicated individuals, teams, events, and organizations asking for our help in some way. As much as we would like to say yes to each and every request, we cannot physically or financially be involved in all of them. Unfortunately, our current obligations and resources limit our ability to take advantage of every opportunity. Quaker focuses its giving on key needs in our community: feeding the hungry, education of children, concentrating on programs that encourage them to be successful in school by developing life-long skills like good eating habits and youth volunteerism.

Sokunthea: Can you share with us a favorite example or project you’ve undertaken in the past year?

Candace: One of my favorite cause campaigns is the Birthday Party with a Purpose kit as part of Quaker's Kids Doing Good Campaign. The kits were developed to help busy moms inspire their young kids to make a positive difference by bringing goodness to others through youth volunteerism. From start to finish, everything moms need to know to plan and host a birthday party with a purpose while still making it fun for kids. There is more information about the kits at QuakerKidsDoingGood.com.

Quaker recently announced the Quaker Go Project. To help combat childhood hunger, the Quaker Go Project is empowering consumers to activate hunger-related volunteerism projects in their own communities by applying for a Go Grant. More than 36 million Americans – including 12.4 million children— are at risk of hunger. Consumers can visit www.quakeroats.com/gohumansgo between now and July 31, 2009 and share their ideas for a hunger-related project for the opportunity to receive a $500 grant.

We're looking forward to working with Kids Care Clubs and Share Our Strength to spread the word about the Quaker Go Project later this year.