Tis the season for giving back to the community and most large companies and organizations have their own initiatives and programs that accomplish that. But Keystone Cooperative has developed a unique way of “giving back” with its Cultivating Communities program.
Chief Experience Officer at Keystone Cooperative, Amy Kinsler explains, “Cultivating communities allows our employees to determine where Keystone shows up locally. So, we give them eight hours pay time off to go volunteer at whatever organization is near and dear to them in their rural communities. And then when they do invest eight hours of volunteering, then we will support them with a $100 donation to that local organization of their choice.”
From supporting FFA and 4-H programs to helping fund school initiatives, food pantries, and local events, Cultivating Communities allows Keystone employees and members to give back in meaningful ways where they live and work.
Kinsler continues, “One thing we know about the Keystone employee team is they volunteer. We have a lot of volunteer firefighters. We have a lot of little league coaches. We have a lot of folks that are volunteering at their local churches. And so we know that our team is very heavily involved in their communities. We keep encouraging them. A lot of them are pretty humble folks. They don’t like to brag on themselves. So encouraging them to tell us where they’re where they’re showing up and let us come in and support them on the backside has been something we’ve been pretty focused on these past couple of years.”
Kinsler says the program reflects the cooperative’s mission — not just to serve farmers, but to help rural communities remain vibrant, connected, and resilient for future generations. “Sometimes you get challenges as you grow and scale and size that you’re not local anymore. This allows us to really keep that, keep that giving within the employee team in that local area.”
