For 16 years, PCL Construction has supported hungry individuals and families across the United States through an annual food bank donation program. Each year, the company celebrates Thanksgiving with offices donating funds to a local food bank. What started as a way to support people struggling after the recession in 2009 has grown into a cornerstone of PCL’s community giving, raising more than $1.6 million to date.

As food costs have soared this year to more than $1,000 per month for a family of four, executives at PCL knew the donations needed to increase along with it. This year, PCL increased the donation by nearly $100,000, bringing the total to $175,000 across 19 food banks.

“Sixteen years ago, I helped start PCL’s donation program to give back to the communities that support us every day,” says Michael Kehoe, vice president of finance. “It’s been incredible to see how our commitment has grown over the years, and I know this program will continue to bring people together and make a real difference for families across the United States.” 

Rhonda Pollard, business development manager in Seattle, knows first-hand what it’s like to need help with sourcing food. She grew up in a food desert of rural Kentucky with a single mother and two siblings. Despite her mom sometimes working two to three jobs, Pollard’s family often struggled to afford food.

“School was where I ate breakfast and lunch every day,” Pollard says. “If I didn’t go to school, I didn’t eat, and it was still a struggle for my mom to put dinner on our table. There were many times we were going to food banks and churches, in addition to using government subsidies.”

Stories like Pollard’s are far too common, and it’s why PCL makes a yearly effort to support food banks across offices. In addition to Seattle making a $10,000 donation to Food Lifeline, a regional member of Feeding America, Pollard took it a step further. She learned that Ryther, one of three inpatient adolescent behavioral health facilities in Washington, was desperately low on food for its teens. Pollard wanted to help, and with additional support from PCL, she filled her car with food for the organization.

“These are things that I’ve seen other corporations stay away from altogether because they don’t want to be seen on one side of the fence or another,” Pollard says. “But I know what it’s like to be hungry, and it means a lot to me to see PCL dive headfirst into these issues to try and find ways to help.”

Two time zones away, Kristin Smith, senior marketing specialist in Minneapolis, has also seen first-hand the impact that food banks make for her neighbors. Before joining PCL in 2022, she spent more than eight years in the non-profit sector, five of which were with The Food Group, a hunger relief organization that provides nutritious and quality foods to families spanning across more than 30 Minnesota counties.

In her previous role, Smith saw people in all walks of life needing support.

“There’s a lot of stigma around why people need these resources,” Smith says. “People assume that it’s flooded with those who don’t want to work, but it’s oftentimes people with full-time jobs who are underpaid, single parents or those who have high medical bills to pay and they rely on food shelves for support during a difficult time.”

Another area of opportunity Kristin saw was that families were limited to cheaper, less nutritious food choices. With donations to food banks like Second Harvest Heartland, families have access to healthier foods that are high in protein and support overall well-being.

PCL Construction has been a supporter of Second Harvest Heartland for over two decades. 

“PCL’s generosity alone has helped distribute over 670,000 meals into the community and helped us innovate and strengthen our programs and services amidst record levels of need,” Annie Thurston, corporate development officer at Second Harvest Heartland says. “With PCL’s partnership, Second Harvest Heartland is able to deliver food, stability and hope to food-insecure neighbors.” 

In addition to their normal donation, PCL also donated $3,000 worth of turkeys to the Shiloh Cares Food Shelf to help nearly 150 North Minneapolis families celebrate a traditional Thanksgiving. By giving healthy options and helping families participate in holidays without straining their pockets, Smith says that PCL is helping destigmatize the need for resources and creating happier, healthier communities.

“We never know what anyone is going through behind the scenes,” Smith says. “On the surface they might seem like they’re doing fine, but you can’t tell how someone is doing just by looking at them.” 

Since food banks and shelves have higher buying power through partnerships and bulk purchasing, PCL’s countrywide $175,000 donation could support more than one million meals for families in need.

This year, as food insecurity has risen by nearly 2%, PCL is proud of its long-standing tradition of helping families across the country have access to healthy food.