Deere Employees Worldwide Increase Volunteer Time to Community Organizations

Deere & Company employees around the world recorded more than 104,500 hours of volunteer support to community organizations in 2015 — a 21 percent increase compared to 2014.

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"It is important for Deere and its employees to support the many organizations that help enhance communities around the world," said Mara Downing, Director, Corporate Citizenship and Global Brand Management. Downing said Deere's citizenship efforts focus on three key areas — long-term solutions for world hunger, education, and community development.

An example of these volunteer efforts is the packaging of 1.4 million meals for local food banks in the U.S. by approximately 5,300 Deere employee volunteers, an initiative that took place in recognition of World Food Day. In Germany, another 300 employees packaged 6,000 food parcels for area food banks in four Deere communities.

In addition, approximately 1,800 Deere employees volunteered for the United Way's Day of Caring in the Quad City area of Iowa and Illinois, where the company's world headquarters is located.

Deere's citizenship efforts include a robust global employee volunteer program and grants both from its philanthropic organization — the John Deere Foundation — and through corporate contributions, which are made mostly in communities where John Deere employees work and live. In fiscal 2015, Downing said the company and the foundation contributed $28 million in its citizenship efforts across 12 countries.

"In total, we estimate our investments in citizenship activities helped improve the lives of more than 15 million people across the globe," Downing said.