Opportunity: Community-Driven Initiatives in Listowel
Today, there is a growing value on the role of supporting local businesses to foster local economic growth and community well-being. Research indicates that local businesses reinvest up to 70% of their profits back into their communities, significantly boosting economic activity and job creation. However, only 30% of national brands can claim the same, indicating room for improvement.
Beyond economic support, there is a growing awareness of social issues such as loneliness and mental health. In Europe, the rise of these concerns has underscored the need for strong community ties and human connection. For Kerry Dairy Consumer Foods’ Dairygold, recognised the importance of supporting and empowering the local community in Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland — and decided to do something about it.
Approach: Innovative Community Engagement Programs
We believe in leveraging our resources and expertise to encourage employee volunteerism in local projects. To achieve this goal, we launched the MyCommunity initiative, designed to foster a spirit of collaboration and service among our employees. For example, we collaborated with local schools in Listowel to organise a “Clean Up Our Streets” event. During this event, students and teachers worked together to beautify public spaces by picking up litter and planting flowers.
What’s more, we understand that not everyone has the time for traditional volunteering, which is why we launched the “Make a Minute for the Good Stuff” campaign. This initiative promotes micro-volunteering, allowing participants to engage in small, manageable tasks that collectively contribute to larger projects. For instance, participants spent a minute identifying flowers in drone photographs to aid environmental conservation efforts. These micro-volunteering activities can be completed online using smartphones or other internet-connected devices, making it easy for even the busiest individuals to contribute to meaningful causes.
To extend our impact even further, Dairygold has partnered with several charitable organisations. These collaborations include Be My Eyes, The Cheetah Conservation Fund, Count Flowers for Bees, Meitheal Duchas.ie, Crowdcrafting, and Post Pals. By working with these organisations, we can support a wide range of initiatives that align with our values and goals while providing maximum impact.
Impact: Strengthening Communities and Making a Broader Impact
Through our innovative community engagement programs, Dairygold has made significant strides in supporting and empowering the local community in Listowel and beyond. Our efforts have not only improved the local environment, but also strengthened community bonds and instilled a sense of pride in the participants. From the “Clean Up Our Streets” event in Listowel to the “Make a Minute for the Good Stuff” campaigns and the numerous charitable partnerships, we are proud to have had a noticeable influence on the community.
On average, each year we make significant impact across the board, including:
- Beautifying various spaces around the town each year
- Collecting countless bags worth of litter
- Planting bunches of flowers, trees, and shrubs
- Logging impressive volunteer hours collectively across participants
- Engaging both local residents and virtual participants
- Raising funds to benefit various local charitable organisations
The Kerry Difference: We continue to improve the local environment and instil a sense of community pride and ownership among local residents. By fostering community engagement, supporting environmental causes, and making volunteering accessible and inclusive, Dairygold has created a ripple effect of goodness that benefits our local community and the wider world. We believe that collective action, inclusivity, and convenience are essential in creating a better world.