Aramco employees work at food banks to help communities across U.S.

Aramco Americas, Motiva, and SABIC employees and their families rallied on July 24 to support food banks and a community kitchen in cities across the United States.

More than 300 employees and family members helped to package, sort, and prepare food for those in need in Houston, Boston, Detroit, and Washington, D. C.

Summer months are especially challenging for food banks, as children who rely on federally funded lunch programs are on break from school.

Houston Food Bank

About 260 employees volunteered at the Houston Food Bank, which is the largest in the nation, serving 18 southeast Texas counties and a network of 1,600 community partners.

Aramco’s support will help provide over 147,000 meals for Houstonians in 2024. Additionally, a grant was awarded earlier this year to help combat food insecurity across the Greater Houston area.

“Volunteerism is one way we can help but we also look to have long-term impact on food insecurity by supporting food bank programs, education, and services,” said Judy Sultan, Supervisor, Aramco Americas Citizenship.

Greater Boston Food Bank

Sixteen volunteers from the Boston Research Center were able to sort 8,880 pounds of food, which converts to 7,400 meals for a family of four. The food will be distributed to pantries and outreach centers to families in need.

"I volunteered because it’s a good organization that helps a lot of families here in Eastern Massachusetts," said Martin Poitzsch, Aramco Americas Reservoir Engineering Technology Leader, who has been participating in the company’s activities for more than 9 years. “I want to demonstrate my support to Aramco’s initiative in donating funding and labor to help this food bank. My wife and I also donate on our own annually.”

The Boston-based food bank is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and among the largest food banks in the country.

Gleaners Community Food Bank

Gleaners Community Food Bank is known for collaborating to efficiently provide food assistance throughout Southeast Michigan. Local Aramco employees, family members, and friends worked throughout the day to pack meal boxes and organize donations.

“Food arrives in bulk, and we needed to portion food from pallets and repack it into family sized boxes,” said James Braun, an engineer at Aramco’s Detroit research center. "I've also volunteered for Gleaners outside of work.”

DC Central Kitchen

In Washington, Aramco Americas staff and their families prepared meals alongside DC Central Kitchen staff and Culinary Job Training Program students for their weekly meal distribution. Their mission is to use food as a tool to strengthen bodies, empower minds, and build communities. This summer, DC Central Kitchen plans to serve more than 120,000 nutritious summer meals at more than 30 youth programs and drop-in locations around DC.

Aramco Americas has supported the DC Central Kitchen for over a decade and employees have volunteered there for three years.

“DC Central Kitchen has been a valued Aramco partner for over a decade as an exceptional social impact organization because of their unique and innovative approach to combating food insecurity and breaking the poverty cycle," said John Pearson, Washington, D.C. Office Director. "Our staff and their families thoroughly enjoy giving-back by participating in this annual Aramco tradition of strengthening and supporting our community and we look forward to more engagements in the future.”

Support nationwide for addressing food insecurity

These volunteer events allow Aramco to support food banks on a city and regional level. The company also advocates for food insecurity on a national level by donating to Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks, food pantries, and community-based organizations. Through its participation, the company aims to have a national impact on food insecurity while contributing to global dialogue on the topic.