Today I'm blogging from Food and Friends in Washington, D.C. Food and Friends is a non-profit organization that provides groceries and meals to people who are seriously ill and unable to leave their homes to get their own food. I'm volunteering here today as part of Marriott's annual Spirit To Serve Our Communities Day that takes place every May. Our properties participate in different community service events throughout the month and our 300,000 managed and franchised associates around the world are given time off from work to participate.
I've had a great time here today. I've been bagging groceries with my daughter Debbie Marriott Harrison and my son David Marriott and Bill Shaw, who is vice chairman of our company. I put cereal in the grocery bags and I've been putting the menus in the grocery bags and moving the bags around.
Some of our associates are preparing meals and we're also delivering the meals to the homes of the people who need them. That's being provided by transportation by Connect by Hertz. So we have cars going around town delivering meals, we're putting together groceries and we're preparing meals in the kitchen. It's been a great day - a lot of camaraderie, a lot of fun being with our associates from all around the company.
Food and friends has done a lot of great work in the Washington area over the past few years. Many of the patients they serve are living with HIV or AIDS, which is a rapidly growing problem in our city. Since the end of 2006, the number of cases here has increased by 22 percent and now nearly 3,000 out of every 100,000 D.C. residents are affected by HIV or AIDS. That means there are more people in D.C. living with these diseases than there are in West Africa.
I'm glad I had the chance today to work with an organization like Food and Friends to help so many people in my community who are in need. Many other associates from Marriott are participating in other volunteer events here in the D.C. area and around the world. Some other executives including Arne Sorenson, our new Chief Operating Officer, are renovating a house with Habitat for Humanity in Montgomery County, Maryland, while others are volunteering at D.C. Children's Hospital. And associates around the world from New Orleans to Austria to Phuket have participated in events within their own communities as well.
You can keep updated on the Spirit To Serve events by following us on our Marriott International and Green Marriott Twitter sites, as well as see videos of these events on our YouTube channel.
I'm Bill Marriott and thanks for helping me keep Marriott on the move.
Being a Friend to Our Local Communities
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Posted by: Alberto F Martin P | 01/14/2010 at 04:12 PM
Mr. Marriott,
I am trying to get help for my friend whose son is undergoing a bone marrow transplant at Cincinnati Children's Hospital in a couple of weeks. She is in desperate need of somewhere to stay while he is inpatient the first 100 days. We are trying to get an email address of someone we could write to about this since there is a Marriott within 1/2 mile of this hospital (Kingsgate). I would be happy to elaborate if someone could please email me and let me know where to send the letter. Thank you for what you do for people in the communities. I hope your company can help this mother be with her son during this serious procedure. Thank you again.
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Posted by: Willie Kajan | 05/29/2009 at 10:45 PM
Good to see the corporate world helping out the community. Keep us the great work... !
Posted by: Kratom | 05/18/2009 at 12:59 PM
Dear Bill,
It is truly a blessing to be able to help others. My sister, chef Ris Lacoste, is involved with DC Central Kitchens & volunteers there every week. When I was there last year at a convention for diabetes, she took me along to help cook whatever was asked of us. It was wonderful to help & see families doing their part as well prepping food for the cooks to use the next day. Thank you for promoting this spirit of volunteerism in your company. I will be returning to DC this year & hope to visit DC Central Kitchens again. They do great work for the homeless of DC.
Posted by: Marianne Leduc | 05/14/2009 at 12:42 AM
What a great example you set! Thanks sharing your efforts to help others!
Posted by: Hank Mancini | 05/13/2009 at 02:11 PM
Mr. Marriott, Thank you for your efforts in helping at Food and Friends. As a previous General Manager of the Residence Inn (Anchorage, AK) and board member of the Food Bank of Alaska, I personally appreciate your efforts. The face of hunger does not have a generic look. It could be a single parent dressed as a professional that struggles with childcare, housing, health costs... or other expenses that take precedence over quality food. Thanks go to the many, many organizations that come together to help with meeting the growing crisis of families in need across our country.
Thank you,
Todd Williamson
Director of Business Development
NANA Management Services Lodging
Anchorage, Alaska
Posted by: Todd Williamson | 05/13/2009 at 01:06 PM
Bill, It's really nice and heart warming to hear of activities like this. Thanks for sharing it.
Sue
Posted by: Sue | 05/13/2009 at 10:23 AM
Dear Mr. Marriott,
No inconvenience is intended by my following comments at all; but I just feel proud to be blogging within your community. I'm thankful that our global community has powerful figures that despite their full business agendas take the time to turn their heads towards the needs of the ill, and also encourage their company staff accordingly. I do pray that other businesses do follow in your policies and the circle of good widens to engulf all our community needs. God bless you and return your good deeds with thousands of blessings on you and your family.
Posted by: Feras Werr | 05/13/2009 at 08:36 AM