Through the year, and around the world, Aramark employees work to make a positive impact on their local communities.
To celebrate Global Volunteer Month in April, Aramark is highlighting four outstanding volunteers who are passionate about empowering workforce success, improving access to food and nutrition, pitching in during natural disasters, cleaning up the environment, and generally supporting and building more vibrant communities.
Nicole Patterson: Inspiring Future Leaders
Volunteering has been a lifelong pursuit for Nicole Patterson, Director of Workers’ Compensation and Risk Management Operations, Aramark Global Risk Management.
“I come from a family of volunteers. Since childhood, I learned that giving back is my civic responsibility,” said Patterson. “I am grateful to be part of Aramark’s efforts to give back. We have something for everybody. I can home in on the causes that are important to me.”
For example, Patterson has spent time counseling Philadelphia Public School students through Aramark Ignite, a program in partnership with the Urban League of Philadelphia focused on increasing the workforce skills, high school graduation rates, and post-secondary success of the participating students.
Apart from career development opportunities, Patterson gets involved in community events as often as possible. As part of Aramark Building Community, Patterson has helped create backpacks full of back-to-school items for school children in the Philadelphia metro area.
“One back-to-school event in New Jersey was particularly emotional for me,” said Patterson. “You just don’t realize how fortunate you are. Hundreds and hundreds of families lined up before the event began to get the school supplies their kids needed. It’s meaningful not just to the students but to Aramark team members who live and work in that community.”
Ronald Jones: Saluting Our Veterans
“I am a proud veteran. Most of my family members are all prior military,” said Ronald Jones, General Manager at Arizona State University, Aramark Collegiate Hospitality. Jones served six years in the U.S. Marine Corps and eight years with the U.S. Coast Guard.
In Spring 2024, Jones came up with the idea to put an American flag patch and the word “Veteran” on his uniform initially to recruit and hire other veterans into Aramark. The idea has expanded to include patches on the uniforms of all the veterans on his team who choose to identify as such.
That initiative has helped build a veteran network within Aramark at the university and with the veteran community, boosting morale, heightening the team’s sense of pride, and opening communication between each other and with their guests.
“Each veteran's wisdom and experience inspire our younger generation employees in ways we never imagined. It’s incredible to see how this collaboration fosters growth and camaraderie among our team," Jones said.
On Veterans Day 2024, Jones and his team gathered snacks, personal care items, playing cards, and other items to fill 500 bags for veterans overseas, working with nonprofit organizations to ship them. University students filled out handwritten note cards of support and encouragement to include in the care packages. This year, the team hopes to double—or triple—the number of military members they reach by Veterans Day in November partnering with ASU and nonprofit military organizations.
Jones also volunteers for Aramark Building Community events that don’t have a military focus.
“We held an ABC Day event on campus last year, making pizzas and giving out little chef coats to Kids With Autism Can,” Jones said. “This month, we’re visiting a local school, painting, building play equipment, and supporting children and families in the community.”
Teresa Young: Disaster Relief with Compassion
When Hurricane Helene devastated communities in late 2024, Teresa Young jumped into action.
Young, Data Governance Manager - Master Data Governance, Aramark Field Services Support, grew up around the area in western North Carolina hardest hit by Hurricane Helene.
“Many of the people in that area were already living in dire conditions prior to the storm,” said Young. “After the storm, they were much worse off.”
Young worked with colleagues from the area, including her fellow co-leaders of the Aramark EMPOWER ERG Carolinas Hub, to gather donations of coats, mittens, socks, blankets, non-perishable food, and other items. These were delivered to a local university in North Carolina where they were picked up for distribution to those in need in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina.
Young has volunteered to support a local food bank, packing meals for seniors and helping to clean and install shelving. She also volunteered to fill backpacks for at-risk children.
For ABC Day this April, Young will work with other team members to refurbish a community center, including repairing a wall that is crumbling and threatens to shutter the center if not fixed.
“It’s always heart-warming to me to give back,” Young said. “Also, I work from home so it’s a great chance to go out and spend time in person with my colleagues from other Aramark lines of business, sharing the work but also sharing the messages of ABC Day and the ERGs.”
Miguel Mar: Creating Healthier, Happier Lives
From cleaning up riverways to making children’s lives a little brighter, building community is part of Miguel Mar’s DNA.
“Giving back to the community allows me not only to contribute to important causes but also to promote a culture of collaboration and empathy among all of us,” said Mar, who is a Training and Organizational Development Manager with Aramark Mexico.
Last year, Mar led a team of Aramark volunteers who cleaned up waste along the Magdalena River in La Cañada Park in Mexico City. The project was part of a partnership with Plastic Oceans International.
“Access to green spaces has become increasingly limited in our country,” said Mar. “Contributing to the cleanup of green spaces brings me great personal satisfaction.”
For Aramark Building Community Day this year, Mar is leading a project to build healthier and more energy-efficient stoves that use up to 50 percent less firewood than traditional stoves.
