CenturyLink is committed to strengthening and improving the communities it serves, not only through its products and services, but through philanthropic support of local community agencies, events and initiatives.
We focus our philanthropic and volunteer efforts on K-12 education and programs that support youth; technology-focused initiatives; and locally-driven efforts that strengthen communities and make them better places to live.
Our employees share this commitment and are active volunteers in both individual and company-led efforts. Community Relations Teams, Employee Resource Groups and individual volunteers across the country are passionate about enriching and strengthening the diverse communities we serve. They are in our communities participating in events, coaching little league teams, serving on non-profit boards, assisting with community cleanup days and much more.
At CenturyLink, our vision is to improve the lives of our customers. Through our products and services, we help strengthen businesses from Main Street to Wall Street to those competing in the global market, and we connect communities to information and services throughout the world.
Through our involvement in efforts ranging from environmental stewardship to community investment, we further our commitment to improve lives by being a good citizen and neighbor in the communities where we work and live.
Each summer, community food banks see a spike in requests due to the fact that kids are out of school and not receiving school lunches. These same food banks help feed kids over weekends and school breaks through backpack programs. In an effort to raise awareness and funds for backpack programs, we invite employees and customers to support our annual Backpack Buddies Food Drive. In addition to donations raised through the drive, the CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation provides a $1 million match to food banks across the country.
Over the past eight years, the drive, along with the match from the CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation, has contributed more than 50 million pounds of food and equivalent financial donations to local food banks across the country.
CenturyLink employees are passionate about the diverse communities we serve. From coaching youth sports to fostering animals or advocating for the arts, we have employees involved in a wide range of volunteer service across the country. In support of their efforts, the CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation provides a Matching Time Grant Program which allows U.S. full-time employees who volunteer at least 40 hours within a 6-month period to earn grants for the non-profit organizations they serve.