THE HERSHEY COMPANY 
HERSHEY, Pa., June 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) was recognized for the fifth time as one of America’s 50 most community-minded companies in The Civic 50, an annual recognition for companies that best use their resources to help improve the communities in which they do business.
The Civic 50 award is the only recognition that exclusively measures corporate involvement in communities and is an initiative of Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. This Civic 50 award, created in 2012, has been awarded to Hershey all five years it has been presented.
“Our passion for supporting vibrant and thriving communities has been a part of Hershey for more than a century,” said Leigh Horner, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility, The Hershey Company. “This inspires us to be catalysts for change by unleashing our employees to apply their time and talents as volunteers and by giving financial support to community issues that matter most to us.”
On a global scale, Hershey is focused on sharing its goodness with the world by leveraging the skills and talents of its employees, as well as the resources of its business, to implement programs that help the greater community flourish. The company continues to positively impact the community through its shared social purpose – Nourishing Minds – by providing children with the basic nutrition they need to learn and grow. Through applying its expertise in food production and processing to support programs and partnerships in Ghana, the United States, Canada and China, Hershey is on track to nourish one million minds by 2020.
The company also expanded its Learn to Grow program, which provides agricultural training to more than 48,000 cocoa farmers across Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria. Through education, women’s empowerment and policies that help prevent illegal and forced child labor, Hershey aims to help build healthy and productive communities – a goal that is further outlined in the company’s recently released 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Report.
Additionally, Hershey is gearing up for its annual global week of service, Good to Give Back Week, happening this July. Throughout the week, thousands of employees will work with the company’s non-profit partners to give back to local communities around the world. During an annual meal-packing event with Rise Against Hunger, the company expects to pack its one-millionth meal, with all meals sent to communities in need around the world. Throughout the year, Hershey employees are encouraged to give back to communities and is among 64 percent of Civic 50 companies that offer employees paid time off to volunteer.
“Encouraged by calls for responsible citizenship from shareholders, employees and customers—but also driven by a desire to build trust and define their brands — Civic 50 companies are putting communities at the center of business,” said Jennifer Lawson, president of networks at Points of Light.
To view a complete list of The Civic 50 companies for 2017, visit Civic50.org.
About The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company, headquartered in Hershey, Pa., is a global confectionery company known for bringing goodness to the world through its chocolate, sweets, mints and other great-tasting snacks. Hershey has approximately 18,000 employees around the world who work every day to deliver delicious, quality products. The company has more than 80 brands around the world that drive more than $7.4 billion in annual revenues, including such iconic brand names as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Jolly Rancher and Ice Breakers. Building on its core business, Hershey is expanding its portfolio to include a broader range of delicious snacks.
At Hershey, goodness has always been about more than delicious products. For more than 120 years, Hershey has been committed to operating fairly, ethically and sustainably. Hershey founder, Milton Hershey, created the Milton Hershey School in 1909 and since then the company has focused on giving underserved children the skills and support they need to be successful. Today, the company continues this social purpose through 'Nourishing Minds,' a global initiative that provides basic nutrition to help children learn and grow. From neighborhoods across the United States to the streets of Shanghai and Mumbai and villages of West Africa, our goal is to nourish one million minds by 2020.
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About The Civic 50
The Civic 50 was created in 2012 to measure corporate civic engagement and recognize companies that incorporate socially responsible practices and community leadership into their culture.
The survey evaluates companies based on several criteria including how extensively and strategically resources are applied to community engagement, how a community engagement program supports business interests and integrates into business functions. Other criteria include how a company supports community engagement through its institutional policies, systems, and incentives, and how a company measures the social and business impact of its community engagement program.
MEDIA CONTACT: Sarah Dull The Hershey Company 717-508-1384 sdull@hersheys.com
