Social Sustainability:
Community Involvement
Ralcorp is committed to making a positive impact in the communities where we live and do business.
The greatest concentration of our efforts is reflective of our business and consumer base, focusing on providing food, and providing support for community organizations, especially those serving children and families. Much of our community involvement is coordinated locally rather than centrally since the needs of each community are unique. Ralcorp also provides community support at the corporate level through our headquarters in St. Louis.
Providing Food
Food is the business of Ralcorp, so, it only makes sense for us to support hunger relief efforts nationwide. We are providing food through regional and local food banks, as well as direct food donations to community groups and organizations.
One of Ralcorp’s major 2009 food donation programs was led by our Post Foods division. Post partnered with Feeding America, the nation’s leading hunger relief charity, to donate up to 1.5 million boxes of cereal, through Post’s “Bowls of Hope” program. For every Bowls of Hope specially-marked box of cereal purchased, Post Foods donated a bowl of Post Shredded Wheat cereal to Feeding America. The entire Post Shredded Wheat product line was part of the program.
In a related effort, Post’s Canadian business partnered with Food Banks Canada on Post’s “Power of One” program to donate 400,000 boxes of cereal to Food Banks Canada. Food Banks Canada is that country’s national charitable organization serving approximately 85% of people accessing food programs nationwide. For every specially marked box of Post Shredded Wheat purchased, Post Foods donated one box of the cereal to a local food bank.
In addition to these major efforts, Ralcorp’s private label divisions also were actively involved in local hunger relief efforts. Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products, Ralcorp Snacks, Sauces, and Spreads, and Ralston Foods donated a combined total of over 275,000 cases or approximately 2.75 million items to regional food banks and other local community organizations. Ralston Foods alone donated over 1.75 million of these items. In addition to organizations such as Feeding America, Second Harvest Heartland, and Feed the Children, we also donated food to community service organizations and youth programs.
Supporting Communities
Ralcorp also supports communities through charitable donations to local organizations. Since our inception in 1994, the Ralcorp headquarters has sponsored annual United Way employee giving campaigns. During our 2009 campaign, Ralcorp’s headquarters employees from all four of our divisions donated more than $111,000 and achieved an 83% participation rate. Ralcorp matched this amount, and Ralston Foods added a $1,000 donation, bringing our 2009 corporate total to nearly $225,000 in cash. In addition to this corporate effort, several manufacturing facilities across our supply chain also support United Way through employee giving, company donations, and volunteerism.
Since 1996, Ralcorp and employees have given more than $2 million to United Way.
In other community involvement, Ralcorp has provided corporate sponsorships or donations to organizations serving children and families including Autism Speaks, Central Institute for the Deaf (CID); children’s hospitals, Ronald McDonald House, Special Olympics, and many others.