GSF Foundation went social last March with our first ever Facebook page! GSFF’s Facebook page gives associates the opportunity to keep up with the latest news within the Foundation, reminisce on past work through “Throwback Thursday” posts and puts a spotlight on GSF associates doing outstanding work for the Foundation. In the past year the page has received up to 300 likes and we are excited to see interaction among associates and the charitable organizations that the Foundation works with on the page.
GSFF’s Facebook page gives participating associates the opportunity to connect with other GSF team members doing similar work in other regions. It is a great way for associates to give their personal perspective on working with the Foundation. Recently, we prompted associates to share their favorite ways to get involved with the Foundation on the Facebook page:
“Backpacks are always fun and very meaningful, but the bike building event in 2014 was my favorite event so far since the Foundation began. Hopefully, we do this in conjunction with Armed Forces Day again in 2015,” said John Jeffcoat, Lexington, South Carolina.
“Anything related to the Ronald McDonald House (especially the Family Dinners). I would love to get the word out more (to people outside of GSF) on what a great organization they are,” added Heather Parish, Whitewater, Wisconsin.
Not only does the Facebook page allow GSF to keep associates updated on the latest happenings within the Foundation, it gives the partner charities the opportunity to also connect. Vicky Nishinaka Leon from the Huntington Drive Elementary School shared her appreciation on our wall saying: “The Golden State Foods Foundation gave Huntington Drive Elementary School $49,000 for our new computer lab. We have more than 100 students reading in our after school Accelerated Reader Program. Our computers were so old that they kept freezing and losing our students’ tests. We almost had to end the program, but The Golden State Foods Foundation saved the day. We were able to buy 32 brand new Apple computers. Thank you to all who have donated to this great foundation. You have changed so many lives at Huntington Drive.”
Even more exciting, GSFF launched its first-ever “Send It On Challenge” on this Facebook page this year. To celebrate the more than $30 million raised for the Foundation, associates and friends of the Foundation were asked to make a donation to GSFF. Some opted to donate $5 per week, which can provide a month-long stay at a Ronald McDonald House for a critically-ill child, two months of food for a family of four, 22 pairs of shoes for children in need, 18 backpacks filled with supplies or two bikes rewarded to students for perfect attendance. What a long way just $5 per week can go! Associates could also make one-time donations to the Foundation, if they chose. On Facebook, facilities across the country showed their support and raised excitement for the campaign with fun videos which demonstrated associates’ enthusiasm for the Foundation. For instance, GSF St. Louis kicked it off with a mock-auction for donations and “sent-it-on” to QCD Orlando. Many centers made facility-wide pledges, like GSF Phoenix, going for 100% associate participation in 2015! In the end most centers participated with a video in the Send-It-On Challenge and more than $750,000 was raised in support of the Foundation.