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John Deere is a company focused on advancing humanity, and Dave Ahlstrand, manager of financial analysis at John Deere Reman, says the best way to do that is to first address basic necessities. “Making sure people have access to food – What’s a higher purpose than that?” he says. “When people can’t eat or feed children, they won’t have the energy to accomplish anything else.”

John Deere Reman is a branch of John Deere dedicated to remanufacturing machinery parts and providing sustainable, low-cost service solutions. Employees are offered eight paid hours to volunteer at the organization of their choice, and many frequently choose to volunteer as a group with the Food Bank’s Full Circle Gardens program and at the warehouse.

Dave remembers his first experience with the Full Circle Gardens program, sharing, “I’m struck by the genuine passion [of Full Circle Gardens staff]. They told us how much we harvested and where it was going. I couldn’t believe how much we harvested in that amount of time. That’s why we started sending a group to volunteer regularly.”

Employees with John Deere Reman now sign up for monthly volunteer sessions with Ozarks Food Harvest, donating more than 450 hours at The Food Bank since the partnership began. Their regular sign-up process has made it so easy for their workers to get involved that Dave encourages other companies to do the same. “The more we make it easy for employees to volunteer in something they’re passionate about, the more we amplify the impact of our organization,” he shares.

John Deere Reman’s commitment to empowering communities makes Dave feel proud of his company and coworkers. Thanks to their hard work, thousands of our neighbors facing hunger in southwest Missouri don’t have to worry about the basics because they now have access to fresh produce and sustenance that allows them to thrive.

If your group wants to make a difference with Ozarks Food Harvest, visit ozarksfoodharvest.org/how-to-help/volunteer.