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In neighborhoods and villages across the globe, more than 20,000 UPS employees in 45 countries donated approximately 100,000 hours of service to their local communities as part of the third annual UPS Global Volunteer Week, Oct. 15-22, 2005.
UPS employees donated their time and talents to help local communities by taking on such tasks as repairing schools and visiting hospitals to assisting food banks and refurbishing orphanages. The effort extended from Asia and Latin America to the United States and Europe.
"We are a vital part of every community, every day," said UPS Chairman and CEO Mike Eskew. "We know how deep the needs run in every one of our communities and we believe it's important to roll up our sleeves to help where we can."
UPS's Global Volunteer Week is an extension of the company's long-standing commitment to volunteerism and actually marks the culmination of volunteer work performed by employees all year long through UPS's global volunteer program, Neighbor to Neighbor.
Since 2003, the seven-day community service initiative has grown from roughly 1,000 volunteers in 2003 to an expected 20,000 participating employees worldwide this year. Initially an international program, this year's efforts were greatly expanded due to the increased participation of UPS's U.S. workforce.
Local UPS employees choose their own projects in conjunction with Global Volunteer Week. The program this year included volunteer efforts such as:
- More than 600 hours cleaning, painting and landscaping public schools throughout India.
- Nearly 2,000 hours renovating schools and shelters in Germany.
- An estimated 20,000 hours aimed at eliminating hunger along every step in the food chain from stocking shelves in food banks to preparing and serving food at soup kitchens in Louisville, Kentucky.
- More than 200 hours sorting food for food banks across Canada.
Founded in 1951 and based in Atlanta, Ga., The UPS Foundation identifies specific areas where its support will clearly impact social issues. The UPS Foundation's major initiatives currently include programs that support increased global volunteerism, literacy and hunger relief. In 2004, The UPS Foundation donated more than $39.9 million to charitable organizations worldwide. Visit www.community.ups.com for more information about UPS's community involvement. | 
