By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph Nestlé Purina workers dedicated more than 300 volunteer hours to various charities during the 24th annual Parina Cares Day.
The company reports around 150 employees from both Purina St. Joseph facilities put in 310 hours to hands-on service throughout the region. Workers helped out at more than eight organizations, including Second Harvest, InterServ, United Cerebral Palsy, YWCA, the St. Joseph School District, and the Open Door Food Kitchen.
“It’s incredible to have a partner like Purina that not only shows up but dives in,” Mike Ritter, Volunteer Services Manager at Interserv, said in a written statement. “Their associates bring energy, empathy, and a real sense of purpose to everything they do.”
The company says the volunteers cleaned and painted community spaces, served meals, organized stockrooms, sorted and packed food baskets, and worked directly with adults with cerebral palsy. Others cleaned up local roadways, supported senior nutrition programs by packing boxes at Second Harvest, made blankets and stuffed KONG toys for pets at the local animal shelter.
“This isn’t just a one-day initiative for us—it’s part of who we are,” Stacey King, event organizer at Purina’s St. Joseph research facility, said in a written statement released by the company. “We’ve been showing up this big for years because we believe in building up the communities that surround us. And every year, our teams ask how we can do even more.”
Across the U.S., Purina donates more than $30 million annually in financial and in-kind support to pet-related and community nonprofit organizations.
The St. Joseph factory and research facility employ more than 450 workers.
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