LS&Co. Unzipped
Jan 04 2013
When Giving Back is Personal
We’ve come to expect companies to give back to their communities, especially during the winter holiday season. Levi Strauss & Co. is certainly not unique in that regard. Over the last year the company and the Levi Strauss Foundation together have invested more than $10 million in the communities where our employees live and work – from supporting the Red Cross after Hurricane Sandy to dozens of pioneering grassroots organizations around the globe.
What I particularly like here, though, is that a lot of the contributions come from the employees themselves. There’s a very human and personal aspect to giving back when a colleague takes time from her day to, for instance, buy and wrap gifts to make the holidays happier for a child who might otherwise do without.
A few recent examples come from around the company globe…
In the Shanghai office, employees have organized a supplies drive so they can put together packages of much-needed items for a nearby school. And Guangzhou employees are collecting winter clothes that will help dozens of families stay warm this season.
In Singapore, employees partnered with the Lakeside Family Centre, a nonprofit that provides counseling, financial support and other programs to meet the needs of the underserved. More than five dozen children received gifts as a result of these employees, who traveled to the center to deliver the gifts and meet the children.
In Melbourne, Australia, an employee team will soon return to Fareshare, a nonprofit that “rescues” food to fight hunger. There, they’ll prepare food for other charities serving those in need. (The picture at the top of this post is from a previous visit to Fairshare.)
In Henderson, Nevada, employee elves decorated 50 holiday stockings and filled them with toys and other goodies to donate to Safe Nest, a nonprofit serving abused women and children. For the mothers, the employees also donated makeup, hair dye and other items to make the holidays a little brighter. The employee volunteers also organized a raffle with proceeds going to Child Haven, a home for abused and abandoned children.
And here in San Francisco, where I work, our annual “Ho Ho Ho” gift drive helped make a brighter holiday season for more than 500 individuals and families who live in shelters or receive support from local nonprofits. Gifts were also given to several area animal shelters.
It’s a privilege to be directly involved with organizing and implementing such activities. It’s one of the things that makes working here both professionally rewarding and personally satisfying.
Posted By: Nancy Wall, Levi Strauss & Co. Community Affairs, Americas |
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Tana M. (not verified) - Feb 11 2013
Back in 2010 Levi's offered a pack of Field Notes Brand notebooks, I was wondering if by some off chance there might still be some hidden away somewhere to purchased? Thanks in advance for your time!
Editor's note: No such luck, Tana. I'm sure you know that you may find similar ones on the Field Notes website. Sorry I wasn't able to help.
Esther Avril (not verified) - Jan 27 2013
Minimum wages for your workers in Cambodia Please support the minimal wage campaign for workers in Cambodia. I can't wear jeans that are fabricated by worker who collaps from hunger in factories where Levis jeans are made.
Editor's note: Thank you, Esther, for your comment. I've shared it with our LS&Co. Sustainability team, which is very much aware of the situation in Cambodia and is monitoring the wage discussions there. We are working with a number of parties on the ground in Cambodia to better the lives of apparel workers. We shared some of this in a blog post by the head of our global supply chain, David Love. It'll take the work of many parties, not just one company, to force systemic change there.
melody hass (not verified) - Jan 06 2013
I have worn your 501 jeans for thirty years aprox. The prices have gone up of course, but what bothered me was to see there being made in Mexico, probably for cheaper wages ect. To me thats just wrong. Levi's should be make here in the USA. Bring back jobs to America, we most likly wear them more than any other country. I just don't really want to support stuff being make else where. I also can't find my 501s anywhere.
Editor's note: Hi Melody, and thanks for your comment. We sell our products in 110 countries around the world, and we make them in more than 30 countries, including the U.S. Just did a quick search for Women's "Made in USA" product and found, currently, one option, with limited sizes. Given the seasonal transition, you may want to check now and later to see if any new product comes up. The USA product is often made with heavier denim and priced higher. Again, thank you.
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