Volunteering is so important to McDonald's that the company gives employees paid time off to do it.
As part of this volunteering effort, McDonald’s Chief Sustainability Officer Jenny McColloch worked alongside the American Red Cross in Chicago at the largest COVID-19 vaccination site in the United States.
Standing by communities in times of need
For National Volunteer Week in the U.S. McDonald's gave employees an extended opportunity to give back. Many of its communities are hurting, recovering, and persevering, and McDonald's is proud of how it stands alongside them in times of need.
Taking care of the communities McDonald's serves goes beyond the food it provides. In support of COVID-19 relief efforts, McDonald's recently expanded its Volunteer PTO policy to allow employees to give back to their communities at a time when they need it most.
In Chicago, home of its headquarters, McDonald's had nearly 80 corporate employees volunteering alongside the American Red Cross at the largest vaccination site in the United States over the course of four days.
“The Illinois Red Cross is grateful for the McDonald’s corporate employees' four-day commitment to volunteering alongside us at the United Center vaccination site," said Celena Roldan, CEO of the Illinois Red Cross. “During this time, it is critical that partners like McDonald's come together and support our community as we all work toward recovery.”
Volunteering at a mass vaccination site
Jenny had the opportunity to volunteer with the American Red Cross at this site.
“As we prepare to move beyond the pandemic, we’re thrilled to enable more volunteering opportunities for our employees, especially here in Chicago. The energy in the air at the United Center vaccination site was impressive, and we’re grateful to our partners at the American Red Cross and the many other city and federal organizations working together to run this operation so smoothly for our community," she explained.
"As a volunteer, I had the opportunity to interview a diverse set of community members post-vaccine to gather feedback and ideas to improve the experience. Beyond the boundless praise for the operational efficiency, ease and collaboration among so many organizers, I was struck by the level of emotion among the guests - ‘I cried to see so many people coming together;’ and ‘I’m so hopeful for the world.’"
"We’re all happy to see vaccination numbers climbing by the day, and we’re just as excited to celebrate these doses of optimism and community connection along with them," she adds.
McDonald's appreciates the communities that have welcomed them into their lives, and volunteering is just one way that McDionald's likes to say thank you. One day, the pandemic will be behind us, but McDonald's attest that their strong commitment to volunteerism will remain the same.
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Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.