Communities

Our charitable giving and volunteer efforts focus on feeding families, helping children, and supporting veterans.

Through our network of bakeries, we support Feeding America and independent food banks, soup kitchens, and other groups providing meals and food to those in need. In 2021, we donated $7.5 million in wholesale bakery food products* toward this effort. Flowers Foods is a Feeding America Guiding Partner.

Charitable Giving & Volunteerism

Feeding Denver, Colo., Kids Through the Backpack Society

June Everett founded Backpack Society (BPS) in 2019 with a mission to remove food insecurity as an obstacle for children so they can grow, learn, and thrive. BPS does this by providing a consistent bag of easy-to-prepare meals on the weekends to help students focus on important things – like being a kid.

In 2021, June reached out to Parrish McLemore, then general manager of the Denver market, about getting Flowers involved in supporting the program and after meeting with her, he “was all-in.” Working with DSD, the sales team, and independent sales distributors, Parrish quickly set up a weekly donation of leftover product to Backpack Society by setting aside still-fresh loaves and snack cakes returned from grocery stores to make way for new inventory.

“We want to provide fresh, name-brand items that students will recognize and feel excited about eating,” Parrish says. “No one is ashamed to have Wonder Bread in their bag. We want them to eat the same things as their peers, the items they see on TV and in their grocery stores.” He estimates they donate four or five trays a week – an average of 32 to 40 loaves of bread, which includes a variety of Dave’s Killer Bread, Nature’s Own, and Wonder products, in addition to Tastykake.

For Parrish, a former free lunch program recipient, it’s a cause that’s especially close to his heart. “Full bellies help kids focus in the classroom,” he notes. “Giving back and getting involved is a huge part of our mission here at Flowers. We want to be a part of the fabric of the community – this is just one way we’re making a difference.”

Flowers Employees Provide Holiday Support for Thomasville, Ga., Charities

For more than four decades, Flowers Christmas Families program has supported local families through employee-donated contributions to local charitable organizations. In the last decade, generous Flowers employees have contributed around $20,000 annually to distribute among several local charitable causes.

The organizations Flowers Christmas Families supported in 2020/2021 include:

Causes are selected annually based on their ability to identify and assist (primarily) children and vulnerable members of society who might otherwise fall through the cracks during the holiday season.

*Total value of product donations in wholesale dollars