WIKA is committed to being a responsible corporate citizen – at both the local and international level. The company’s largest volunteer effort to date in the U.S. was the 2018 From Hunger to Hope MobilePack event. One hundred employees in Lawrenceville, Georgia, worked together to bag and pack meals for hungry children around the world.
Each day, more than 6,000 children around the world die of hunger-related diseases. WIKA is determined to help reduce that number.
On March 8th and 9th, 2018, volunteers from WIKA’s U.S. headquarters spent two-hour shifts assembling and packing nutritious meals for hungry children at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds. One hundred employees – from senior managers to office and production workers – were part of the 8th annual From Hunger to Hope MobilePack event that resulted in over 1 million meals packed over the course of four days. WIKA was a Gold Sponsor, providing hundreds of volunteer hours and donating $50 per volunteer – for a total of $5,000 – to support the event.
Stephanie Jones, director of employee relations for WIKA USA, was one of the company’s 100 volunteers. Her first Hunger to Hope day was an experience she would long remember.
Volunteers from WIKA’s U.S. headquarters in Lawrenceville, Georgia, spent two-hour shifts assembling and packing nutritious meals for hungry children at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds.
“It was a very, very cool event – and very emotionally touching as well,” she said. “When you fill a bag with vitamin powder, soy protein, rice, and dried vegetables, you actually see what is going to provide six meals for someone who has nothing to eat. Nothing can compare to it. Each bag represents a child, so it became very personal.”
WIKA has participated in this event before, but only with 50 employee volunteers. 2018 was the first year that so many people signed up.
“We had more than 100 people who wanted to volunteer,” Jones said. “But as a manufacturing plant, we have on-time delivery goals. With 900 people in the building, we decided we could spare about 100. We definitely had no problem filling those 100 spots.”
From Hunger to Hope is just one of several community outreach activities that WIKA and its subsidiaries are involved in. On April 21, WIKA is fielding a team in the Bed Race in order to raise money and awareness to end homelessness. Sponsored by Family Promise of Gwinnett County, this event turns beds into colorful push vehicles, which are then raced up and down a street in downtown Lawrenceville. WIKA came in second place last year. This year’s team has big plans!
Core Values
For WIKA, volunteerism and community outreach are more than just catchphrases. They form an essential part of the company’s four core values. As a worldwide leader in measurement instruments and technology, WIKA is committed to customer satisfaction, employee education, and continuous improvement. But just as important is WIKA’s dedication to a company culture of social responsibility, a safe workplace, and a clean environment.
Better Together
WIKA firmly believes that everyone is better off when we all work together.
WIKA USA has acquired several companies in the past decade. To emphasize its spirit of unity and teamwork, the broader organization has rallied around the slogan “Better Together.” Indeed, the 100 volunteers proudly wore T-shirts with this slogan on the back.
And that is the foundation of WIKA’s vision and future: Everyone is better off when we work together, innovate together, and give back to the community together.