Timberland's Victory Garden Cultivates Community Impact

Outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland recently celebrated the close of the ninth consecutive harvest season of its Victory Garden, a plot of fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers outside the company’s Stratham, New Hampshire headquarters. Each year, a dedicated group of Timberland employee volunteers manage and cultivate the 1,000 square foot area of raised garden beds. The fresh flowers and produce are then made available to employees for purchase, with proceeds going to the New Hampshire Food Bank (NHFB). Funds raised from this year’s harvest will provide close to 2,000 meals to feed local adults and children who struggle with hunger this holiday season.

“For the past nine years, Timberland has used the proceeds from the company’s Victory Garden to help make food more accessible to people in need,” said Atlanta McIlwraith, senior manager of community engagement and communications at Timberland. “The Victory Garden presents an opportunity for employees to volunteer on-site, learn a new skill and support their local community in a meaningful way. We’ve raised close to $15,000 so far which has helped put food on the tables of many people in need in New Hampshire.”

In the past seven years alone, funding from local citizens and businesses has allowed the NHFB to increase food distribution from 4.5 million pounds to over 12 million pounds as of 2015. Last year the NHFB supported over 400 non-profit food agencies across NH with non-perishable food items, fresh produce and meats. The NHFB is currently accepting donations to ensure families in need are fed over the holidays. For every dollar raised, NHFB can provide two meals to feed the hungry.

“This time of year is especially hard for many who face the unfortunate burden of experiencing hunger. As the only food bank in the state, we rely on generous community support, like the passionate employees at Timberland,” said Bruce Wilson, Director of Operations at NHFB.

For almost 25 years, Timberland has provided employees with paid time to serve communities through its Path of Service™ program. To learn more about Timberland’s efforts to serve communities around the globe, visit: https://www.timberland.com/responsibility/product.html.