Aramark volunteers, including regional Star Teams and members of the company’s employee resource groups (ERGs), partnered with local nonprofit community organizations around the world to help students prepare for the school year and support their success.
Volunteers in the United States, Korea, Canada, Chile, Ireland, and the United Kingdom assembled backpacks full of school supplies and distributed them to students. This marks the fifth consecutive year the company has led this back-to-school initiative. Building on last year’s success, this year’s effort expanded its reach by more than 66%, distributing over 5,700 backpacks and snack kits—up from 3,000 backpacks in 2024.
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Aramark ERG Hubs and STAR Teams Partner in Texas
For the second year in a row, ERG members from Aramark LEAD (Leaders and Employees of African Descent) and Nourish (the ERG for Aramark nutrition professionals) partnered together in Houston to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston at the Spring Branch location. Led by Keiara Kearns, the team packed 55 backpacks with school supplies, nutrition information, and snack recipes for the students to make at home.
The Aramark Central Texas Star Team led by Shaady Ghadessy, and the Texas Hub of the EMPOWER ERG (focused on empowering and growing diverse leadership among women at Aramark) led by Janet Hopkins, partnered with Foundation Communities to stuff backpacks and create snack kits for local area students.
“I love connecting locally and seeing the impact we are able to make with Foundation Communities - it's a year-long partnership that I am thrilled to see grow and see our team get more and more involved,” said Shaady Ghadessy, Senior Director of Hospitality Enablement and Austin Star Team leader.
“It was an incredible evening at the University of Miami Newman Alumni Center, where our amazing community came together to pack over 550 backpacks full of supplies, making sure our students are prepped and ready to shine this school year! All the backpacks and supplies total over $100,000 in value going back into our community - WOW!!! Thank you for making this special night possible. Your support continues to make a real impact in the lives of our students and families.”
Making A Difference Across New England
The New England Star Team held three packing events in Boston—one virtual and two in-person. The New England Star Team and EMPOWER hub, led by Mary Fondas, Vice President of Compliance at Aramark, filled backpacks with essential school supplies for the Boys and Girls Club Boston. New England Star Team members also had the opportunity to take part in a one-hour virtual volunteer session for Family Promise that included a team-building activity, an educational segment about Family Promise and family homelessness, and a hands-on component where participants virtually assembled backpacks and wrote personalized notes of encouragement for the students receiving them.
Collaborating In Chicago to Drive Impact
The Chicago Star Team, led by Jackie Little, senior director of food and retail innovation for Aramark Corrections. Volunteers across several lines of businesses helped organize and sort through donations and assembled 600 backpacks for children at Lawrence Hall.
Along with the Chicago Star Team, Danielle Williams, Human Resource Manager at McCormick Place collected and stuffed 50 backpacks at Powerhouse Church and delivered the backpacks to Marcus Garvey Elementary School.
Aramark Healthcare+
Aramark Healthcare+ and EMPOWER hub members in Florida helped Broward County Community get ready for back-to-school at Kids in Distress (KID) by filling 300 backpacks with school supplies.
Aramark UK
In the UK, Lauren Johnson, Social Value Executive, led the team that partnered with Youth Sport Trust to pack pencil cases for school students. The Youth Sport Trust is a national children's charity that empowers young adults and teaches the benefits of physical education, play, and sport.
“I really enjoy making a difference to people's lives and this charity is close to my heart, these children deserve something special and if we can help out it feels so wonderful to be able to do that,” Johnson said.
Aramark Ireland
In coordination with Northside Partnership, the Aramark Ireland team donated more than €1,700 and packed and distributed 170 bags of school supplies to students at Our Lady Immaculate Junior National School in the Darndale neighborhood of Dublin.
Aramark Korea
In Korea, the Aramark EMPOWER hub team visited The Salvation Army’s Seoul Children’s Home to contribute to facility improvements and delivered special gift sets. In addition, dessert boxes were donated using funds raised earlier in the year through the 100-Day Miracle charity campaign.
Ten volunteers from the EMPOWER Korea Team spent the day cooking with 16 children, preparing dishes such as salad, Korean noodle soup (sujebi), gimbap, and fruit punch.
