GM Employees Give Back During teamGM Cares Week

September 20, 2012 1:19 pm CT

During the week of September 10 – 15, volunteer organizations across the country saw a groundswell of volunteers from the General Motors ranks throughout North America. Many of our employees heard the call to action from Mark Reuss, President of the GM North America, who challenged employees to participate in the teamGM Cares Week. We were encouraged to find volunteer opportunities with organizations in our own backyard to help make the communities in which we live and work better places.

The teamGM Cares volunteer program was established in 2011 to support the Network of Excellence schools in the Detroit area and to help those in need. Since then, teamGM Cares has expanded its reach by connecting employees across the country with volunteer opportunities in their areas.

Here in the Midwest, teams came together to support a variety of efforts last week, including cleaning up rivers and streams and rehabilitating homes with Habitat for Humanity. In the Chicago area, not only did our very own Driving the Midwest team and our friends at GMC support a community garden project, but the rest of our office also rolled up their sleeves and pitched in.

More than 20 members of our Chicago team headed to the Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva and spent the day washing and peeling corn, sorting through donated food and packaging boxes for needy families across northern Illinois. Demand for the organization’s service has never been greater, and as a nonprofit entity, they depend greatly on both donated food items and volunteerism to feed nearly 60,000 people across 7,000 square miles each week. In addition to giving our time, the Chevrolet team also donated 188 boxes of cereal to the food bank. Each made only a small dent in the organization’s needs, but made a big difference to our team’s day.