The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) has been recognized as a recipient of The Civic 50 for 2024, an esteemed accolade highlighting the most community-minded companies in the United States. This recognition, based on an annual survey conducted by Points of Light, the world’s largest nonprofit dedicated to fostering people-powered change, underscores Hershey’s unwavering commitment to corporate citizenship and social impact.
Hershey’s notable achievements include being named the Consumer Staples leader for the third consecutive year and receiving the Volunteer Leader Award for fostering a leading volunteer culture, making volunteerism a key aspect of civic engagement within the company.
Leigh Horner, Chief Sustainability Officer for The Hershey Company, emphasized the company’s dedication to business excellence, long-term resilience, and positive societal impact. Horner highlighted Hershey’s robust philanthropic giving programs and employee volunteerism as foundational elements of the company’s strong culture, which helps delight consumers with their cherished snacking brands.
The community initiatives championed by Hershey encompass a diverse range of needs, including education, workforce development, inclusive economic advancement, and programs supporting youth social and emotional well-being. Beyond philanthropy and product donations, Hershey employees actively contribute to their communities through personal donations and volunteer efforts. In 2023 alone, Hershey employees collectively volunteered nearly 130,000 hours and raised over $1.6 million through matching contributions.
The Civic 50, established over a decade ago, serves as a national benchmark for corporate citizenship, highlighting how leading companies are integrating social impact and community engagement into the heart of their business strategies. Companies recognized as Civic 50 honorees must have annual U.S. revenues exceeding $1 billion and are evaluated based on four key dimensions of corporate citizenship and social impact: resource investment and volunteerism, integration across business functions, institutionalization through policies and systems, and impact measurement.
Hershey’s consistent inclusion in The Civic 50 since its inception in 2012 underscores the company’s enduring commitment to corporate social responsibility. The survey that informs The Civic 50 rankings is conducted by True Impact and analyzed by VeraWorks, focusing on quantitative and multiple-choice questions to assess corporate community engagement. This survey is unique as the sole ranking system exclusively dedicated to measuring corporate community engagement.
To explore the complete list of The Civic 50 companies for 2024, please visit civic50.org.
