BATTLE CREEK, Mich., April 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Matt Reid, Kellogg Company Food Designer, shares how skills-based volunteering is a unique way to develop your skillset and propel your career forward, while also creating better days for your community.

Social K: Kellogg Company Blog

Despite having a 3-year-old son and a daughter on the way, I didn't know anything about diaper banks before I started my Kellogg's® Better Days volunteer project. What I did know is that Kellogg was giving me an opportunity to build my leadership skills by helping out a local nonprofit organization.  

We call it "skills-based volunteering," and it's a win-win for our employees and our communities.  

When Kellogg reached out to members of our Business/Employee Resource Groups (BERGs) looking for volunteers to pioneer this approach, in partnership with United Way, I signed up. As BERG members, we help the company best connect with families and consumers around the world. As a natural introvert, I look for ways to stretch and grow. This opportunity to help achieve some of my professional development goals while, at the same time, helping my community made sense.  

The project I accepted was helping the St. Luke's Diaper Bank in Kalamazoo, Mich. develop job profiles and an employee evaluation process. In 2021, the Diaper Bank, its two employees and many volunteers provided 388,834 diapers to 7,775 families. This is certainly an impressive number, but the need is significant, and they have ambitious plans to expand.  

The Diaper Bank team and I worked together for about three months. I was able to draw on the Kellogg approach to identifying core competencies essential for employee success, as well as our K Values that guide how we work, to help them plan for the future. I also created a guide on how to work with employees to help the Diaper Bank as it grows. They were very appreciative of the work, which was incredibly rewarding and one of the wins. 

I benefited from the other win. One of my professional goals is to one day be a people manager and lead a team. This experience gave me a solid understanding of what it's like to evaluate an employee's performance. It takes an empathetic mindset to consider the whole person and it's not something we take lightly. It was humbling and encouraging to learn that I can do so. 

What advice do I have for others who are invited to participate in skills-based volunteering? If you have the capacity, jump on it! It's encouraging to impact a local organization and help them thrive. It's also a great way to develop the skills that can propel your career forward.  

For more posts like this or to read about skills-based volunteering from the nonprofit perspective, visit Kellogg Company's Social K Blog.

At Kellogg Company (NYSE: K), our vision is a good and just world where people are not just fed but fulfilled. We are creating better days and a place at the table for everyone through our trusted food brands. Our beloved brands include Pringles®, Cheez-It®, Special K®, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes®, Pop-Tarts®, Kellogg's Corn Flakes®, Rice Krispies®, Eggo®, Mini-Wheats®, Kashi®, RXBAR®, MorningStar Farms® and more. Net sales in 2021 were nearly $14.2 billion, comprised principally of snacks as well as convenience foods like cereal, frozen foods, and noodles. As part of our Kellogg's® Better Days ESG strategy, we're addressing the interconnected issues of wellbeing, climate and food security, creating Better Days for 3 billion people by the end of 2030. Visit www.KelloggCompany.com. 

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SOURCE Kellogg Company