Aramark ABC Day 2023 at HPU

Aramark Building Community Day is an annual opportunity for employees to give back to their community and have fun while doing it! For its 10th annual Global Day of Service, Aramark volunteers worked to benefit 140 community organizations in 13 countries. Aramark’s goal is to help build stronger communities by providing skill development and educational opportunities to drive economic independence and increasing access to health food and nutrition education. This year, Harvest Table Culinary Group and Aramark Destinations at High Point University put on a fun field day for the kids at The Boys and Girls Club of Greater High Point to enjoy. The team created fruit kabobs and oat balls to encourage healthier eating choices as well as a grant that provided a multitude of outdoor toys for the children to take home.

“We were able to choose any nonprofit organization, so I knew I wanted to choose the Boys and Girls Club,” said Rhondra Willis, project manager for the event. On April 27th, Aramark employees and volunteers arrived at The Boys & Girls Club to set up egg & spoon races, flag football, tug of war, sack races, and more as children lined up to enjoy the day’s festivities. Willis says she brainstormed with her young daughter to come up with all the activities. “I remember at the end of the year growing up we would have a field day. I know that kids don’t get outside and play like they used to. I wanted to give them healthy snack options with the theme of preventing childhood obesity,” said Willis. Willis also served as the host for the event, guiding attendees to the different events and holding a raffle for big prizes like bikes, hoverboards, and more. 

When asked about her favorite parts of ABC Day, Willis said, “I really enjoyed the sack races and serving as the MC for the event. Seeing the kids’ excitement when they won contests and prizes, seeing them happy for others, and thanking our staff and I for all of our contributions, and for them having a great time.” With the help of HPU Dining, over 150 kids were served nutritious & delicious snacks, given a toy to play outside with, and the Boys & Girls Club of Greater High Point has a stocked activities closet for all to enjoy.