Social Impact & Volunteering

100 Ways: Zurich's Operations Leadership Team Helps to Turn Hunger into Hope

Jun 1, 2012 4:00 PM ET
Campaign: 100 Ways
Forty Zurich colleagues from the Operations Leadership Team packed 7 boxes, which equals 18,792 meals - enough to feed 51 children for an entire year during a volunteer event benefiting Feed My Starting Children, an organization that provides 133 million meals per year to starving children around the world.

Forty Zurich colleagues from the Operations Leadership Team spent a good chunk of May 29th volunteering at Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) in Schaumburg, an organization that provides 133 million meals per year to starving children around the world.

Upon their arrival, Zurich’s volunteers learned that the food they would be packaging would be going to the Philippines within the week. In two hours of volunteer time, the team packed 87 boxes, which equals 18,792 meals - enough to feed 51 children for an entire year! Along the way, Operations Head Nancy Mueller also passed along a check for $1,500 on behalf of Zurich, which will provide another 6,818 meals.

Nancy was thrilled to be there with her team. When asked why they decided to participate in this activity as part of a two-day meeting, Nancy had this to say:

"We were trying to think what Operations leadership could do for Zurich’s 100 ways. We thought this would be a great use of time and a way for the operations leadership team to show the way through volunteering. Events like this take us out of our regular environment. We are the ones getting instructions here, and we are all switching back and forth between jobs. There’s a powerful analogy to make here.”

FMSC relies on volunteers to keep their organization up and running. “We choose not to automate our packing so that the volunteer’s spirits are also fed. Each meal is hand-packed by volunteers… so without them, our mission to feed God’s starving children in body & spirit would be incomplete,” said FMSC representative Marilyn Maurella.

FMSC was founded in 1987 and provides what they call Manna packs, a combination of rice, soy, vegetables and essential vitamins and minerals, to children in nearly 70 countries.

Premium Audit Head Maureen Smith described the event as “awesome.” “It’s a great way to do some good, and it’s also a fun way to spend time with your colleagues.”

Said Tracy Lampert, Head of Operational Transformation: “At Zurich, we have an ambition to be the best insurer. Giving back and working together are key elements to being the best.”

Nancy seemed to agree when she talked about Zurich’s goal to be the best, and how events like this help to shape that aspiration. “It’s not just about selling insurance, it’s the whole picture we have to focus on,” she said.