Blog: Community
As part of our annual company objectives, each EVOL employee is required to spend time performing community service.
Christian & Ryan from EVOL with Lindsay from the School Food Project at University Hill Elementary in Boulder
We partnered with the GROWE Foundation a few years ago, and we have been proud to help them achieve their goals of educating children about food, eating and the environment through the execution of experiential learning programs built around the installation and maintenance of on-site gardens at schools. When the folks from GROWE asked us to help the School Food Project participate in Rainbow Days, a program in which schools harvest lettuce from their own school gardens, serve them in cafeterias, and encourage children to eat at least three different colored vegetables during lunchtime, we jumped at the chance.
The school gardens grow all different species and colors of lettuce - not the standard commodity stuff that comes out of a bag from a distributor
Myself and a couple of team members from the Ops Dept headed to to University Hill Elementary where we helped cafeteria cooks and the School Food Project staff encourage and serve lettuce to the kids. It was so inspiring! The kids were really into it and to be honest, getting them to eat veggies didn’t take much encouragement! Their salad bar is beautiful, and I couldn’t help but think back to what it was like growing up on that crap prison food in the LA Unified School District in the ’80′s when I was a kid. What a difference! We never had fresh vegetables like that – and the concept of the greens having come from a on-site school garden would have been laughable at the time.
All BVSD Schools have salad bars at their cafeterias
There’s still a long way to go on solving the national school lunch program, but watching little kids interact with a salad bar stocked with lettuce that they proudly grew themselves is a step in the right direction.
All BVSD schools use locally produced organic milk from Organic Valley - Yay!
Last week EVOL celebrated a very special holiday very near and dear to our hearts. I am talking about Mom (and it’s not Mother’s Day). It’s the holiday where we celebrate the Mom that gives us air to breathe, the shade of trees and the beautiful scenery that we get to see everyday from our offices. That’s right, we celebrated Mother Earth last Friday as our corporate office got together to plant trees and shrubberies in celebration of Earth Day!
EVOL Earth Day Volunteer Project
We gathered our team for a quick picnic in the park down the street from our offices and then geared up to go to Walden Ponds, a recreation area where seniors can cast a line and enjoy the beautiful scenery in Boulder. We worked with the Boulder County Parks and Open Space department to help create new habitats for songbirds, waterfowl and small mammals as well as help beautify the area and provide shade for the fish and fishermen alike. I mean if a few trees can do all of that, then why not help out?
We evol Mother Earth
When we arrived, the team at Boulder County Parks and Open Space thought there was just too much to do, in too little time. They quickly learned the work ethic of an EVOL employee, and our team was able plant over 88 trees and shrubs of at least 5 different species. It was no easy task, and we had to get dirty, very very dirty- but, we finished the project ahead of schedule and gained the satisfaction of contributing to our community and our planet.
Our CEO Tom pitching in
I walked away with dirt in almost every crevice of my body, a nice scrape from a tumble down the hill and a sunburned neck, but I have to say, I was extremely proud of my fellow EVOL employees and to be a part of a team that values community service and doing good for our environment. And even if I had to get a manicure this weekend to get all the dirt out of my fingernails, I am glad that I was able to give a little back to my Mother Earth who gives so much to me.
Stephanie Winslow
Assistant Brand Manager
EVOL Foods
That's me in the wheelbarrow. Working hard and having fun!
Not every company I know of will shut down for a day in order to give back to the community, then again I am not sure I know many companies quite like EVOL. My career at this company has only just begun but it is already obvious to me that my new co-workers truly care about the people we serve and the food they eat.
Me and my colleagues Heather and Allen weeding the garden
One might ask why a food manufacturing company would help maintain gardens so that children can learn by growing their own food. This seems like a perfectly viable market for our products (just a joke). However, the Growe Foundation of Boulder Colorado does so much more than simply teach elementary school children how to grow food; they use food as a tool to teach science, math, even history!
We had a lot of work to do to prep the gardens so the local elementary kids could get some benefit out of the awesome program. We did everything from lay down weed barriers, pull weeds, thin out plants, haul rocks and sling mulch, all basically in the name of science.
The EVOL Team
There is really nothing better than getting a whole Friday to go dig in the dirt with your friends and co-workers on a perfectly sunny summer day in Colorado. As the school year begins and the gardens become the classroom, all of us at Evol can feel good about our contribution. If children are the future then we definitely helped plant the seeds to get them growin’.
Do something nice for someone!
Patrick Bernard
Sales Coordinator, Evol Foods
Along with my mom, my two sisters, and over 1,000 volunteers, I got the chance to partake in this spectacular event. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect and Shine far exceeded my expectations in so many ways. As an escort at Shine, my role was to a meet a guest upon their arrival and be their date for the evening. I was paired with Grant, a friend I have known for several years, and together we partied and danced the night away. In addition to being one of the politest young men I have ever met, Grant is an amazing dancer (did I mention he is in a wheelchair!?) and my legs were literally sore the next day!
Grant and I getting ready to go dance!
From games, to professional photos, to dinner and of course dancing, Shine took me by surprise and left me with tears in my eyes. At Shine, I saw a community come together. I saw pure happiness in the eyes of hundreds of guests. I felt what fun feels like it its purest form. Above all, I felt blessed.
I was told that once you do Shine, everything changes. It has only been a month since Shine and already I know this to be true.
A day at the Trick or Treat Street reminded me of what it really meant to be a kid again. The EVOL gang and I teamed up for this annual Halloween event, where we all ended up dressing the part. We had a couple farm animals, some kitty cats & one Curious George costume. As a naturally curious kid myself, I opted for the part.
As I jumped in the suit and hit the street with the kiddos, I instantly saw a sparkle in each pair of eyes that gleamed my way. It made me remember the first time I saw my boyhood hero, Raphael, the red-banded Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, at a close toy shop during Halloween. I remember being star-struck and wanting to ask him about his crime fighting. A little part of me worried if he had to fight the Shredder later that evening and all I wanted to do was eat a slice of pizza with him.
The little ones came my way and gave Curious George such a big hug. Everything from princesses to cowboys to Sponge Bobs. Every character and cartoon figure was represented. I saw my other teammates entertaining their audiences with handcrafts, picture moments with Harry Potter, educational shorts about spiders and creepy crawlers. Needless to say, our little spectators were captivated from the sheer overload of entertainment, candy & crafts provided by the day.
I’m glad I was able to spend a day with the EVOL posse all the while reminiscing about the whimsical lives we once lived. Luckily for me, that inner kid has never left the building.
///Lee