For 20 years, Community Day has stood as a testament to the legacy of our founder Levi Strauss, who wove giving back into his business from the very beginning. It has grown into a global day of service that demonstrates our commitment to our communities in a very tangible way.
This year, in the midst of a global pandemic that rules out large gatherings, the 20th anniversary of Community Day looks a little different than we had planned.
But the spirit of Community Day – stepping up to support the causes that we care about – is more important than ever. And, as we have seen from the overwhelming response in giving and volunteering for campaigns like COVID-19 relief and the Black Lives Matter movement, that spirit is still alive and well in our employees.
So this year, while we won’t be gathering together for a single day of in-person volunteering, we will continue to honor that spirit of giving back with regional “Community Day moments” throughout the year that engage employees to make an impact on issues that are important.
In Europe, employees are putting on a Sustainability Day that taps into our long-standing commitment to the planet, as well as the Levi’s® brand’s focus on sustainability in the second half of the year. Employees will participate in environmental cleanups – either on their own or, where appropriate, with nonprofit partners – and announce their collective impact on World Cleanup Day on September 19.
In the U.S., employees will mark Community Day via an Election Day of Service on November 3 by volunteering as poll workers, participating in virtual get-out-the-vote drives – and, of course, by voting themselves.
We’re working with our ambassadors in other regions to identify Community Day moments that align with the issues that our employees care about the most.
And finally, we know that more than 100 community groups around the globe were counting on our support this year through Community Day volunteer projects and the grants that accompany them. With nonprofits under increased pressure to step up their services, coupled with huge challenges to fundraising during the pandemic, we are sending the much-needed grant funds to these partner organizations. They are working in ways both big and small to make our communities stronger, safer and more resilient.
A lot has changed this year, but our commitment to our communities holds stronger than ever. We’ll continue to look for ways for our employees to get involved and give back – and we look forward to the day when we can come back together to volunteer in our communities in person.
Check out this video recognizing 20 years of Community Day:
