Pratt & Whitney Veteran Employees Exemplify a Commitment to Lifelong Service
Each year on Veterans Day, Americans across the country take time to recognize and honor the sacrifice and commitment veterans have made to our nation. Internationally, Remembrance Day in Canada honors the Canadian veterans who have served and continue to serve in times of conflict, war and peace. Veterans are an integral part of the culture at Pratt & Whitney and comprise 11% of the company’s U.S. employee population. Demonstrating a lifelong commitment to service, our veteran employees often continue to serve their communities after their years in military service through volunteer activities and non-profit partnerships.
Food insecurity continues to be one of the largest and most persistent issues the United States experiences and the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated it. Food insecurity disproportionately affects the veteran population in America, meaning millions of heroic former service members now face hunger each day. In fact, 20% of households supported by Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, have a veteran or someone that has served in the military. And 27% of veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have struggled to provide food for their families.
This year, Pratt & Whitney’s veteran employee resource group, PW-4-Vets, participated in distributing packages of food to local community members and fellow veterans at a FoodShare food distribution drive held at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn. PW-4-Vets focuses on creating an inclusive work environment that veterans and active duty members can thrive in while playing an active role in their communities. The event was part of Raytheon Technologies’ recent donation of $5 million to Feeding America as part of the company’s COVID-19 response. Broader outreach continued throughout the company when our employees partnered up with Feeding the Valley in Columbus, Georgia, committing to addressing the issue of food insecurity nationwide.
“Without people, this business doesn't exist, so it's essential that we give back,” shared U.S Army veteran Emma Dugas, specialist, customer service, Pratt & Whitney. “I noticed many veterans coming through the line for food, so it's really near and dear to my heart to work directly with and support that community.”
“Access to healthy food is important all the time,” shared Jason Jakubowski, CEO and President of FoodShare. “One of the things that we see is that nutritious food tends to be more expensive than non-nutritious food. Pratt & Whitney’s support for FoodShare has been tremendous. We couldn't be doing what we're doing without that support.”
To learn more about Feeding America and how you can take action, click here.
