Bloomberg 35: Being part of the everyday lives in our communities

In our most recent installment of the Bloomberg 35 series, we featured our partnerships with humanitarian aid organizations rescuing lives in times of extreme crisis. Here, we bring to focus our work with local charities providing essential everyday provisions such as food, housing, clothing and encouragement for our neighbors in need.

Feeding Hong Kong
Despite the relative economic prosperity in Hong Kong, over 18% of the population lives under the poverty line, while more than 3,200 tons of food is thrown away every day. Feeding Hong Kong aims to fight hunger and food waste by redistributing surplus food from retailers to local charities providing food for the hungry in the community.

Our partnership with Feeding Hong Kong began in 2008 and since then, nearly 700 Bloomberg employees volunteered 1,790 hours to pack and collect surplus food, as well as, participating in special initiatives.

When Feeding Hong Kong was working on a cookbook to fund their Chefs in the Community program, our employees across the Asia-Pacific region took part behind the scenes. We translated, edited and even tested recipes. And on World Food Day in 2014, we hosted a media event at our Hong Kong office to launch the official Feeding Hong Kong Cookbook.

Bloomberg was recently recognized for providing the most volunteer hours, in the last two years, out of all Feeding Hong Kong corporate supporters.

“Food waste surrounds us every day, yet children and families in our neighborhood live below the poverty line and struggle to put food on the table. I feel good about the work my Bloomberg colleagues and I are doing, through Feeding Hong Kong, to build bridges between the food industry and those most in need.”  – Izumi Wolf, Hong Kong Analytics Manager

Ronald McDonald House
Across 63 countries, Ronald McDonald House Charities helps to ensure seriously-ill children have access to top medical care and their families are close by with the love and comfort they need during treatment.

For the past 20 years, Bloomberg has supported Ronald McDonald House to provide families a “home-away-from-home” at little to no cost. Our employees in cities from New York to Edinburgh donate their time and energy to their local Ronald McDonald House chapters – enabling families to focus on the health of their children and to not worry about their next meal, where to sleep, or if they can even afford it.

And in 2012, Ronald McDonald House became one of our first partners for Tradebook Charity Day – an annual event where Bloomberg Tradebook donates a day’s trading commissions to our supported charities.

Since 1996, more than 440 Bloomberg employees volunteered over 1,300 hours with various activities for children and their families at the Ronald McDonald House.

“As a board member of Ronald McDonald House New York, I’m proud of the many contributions our employees are making in support of such a wonderful cause. Whether it’s Bloomberg Tradebook Charity Day, dinners hosted at the Ronald McDonald House, financial donations or other acts of volunteer service – we are making a difference in the lives of so many children around the world, and supporting their families through some very difficult times.” – Ray Tierney, Global Head of Trading Solutions

Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is a global housing non-profit working across 70 countries around the world. The organization is often known for their Habitat builds and repairs – uniting communities, individuals and families through new home construction and restoring existing homes.

In addition, Habitat for Humanity rebuilds lives and revitalizes neighborhoods with their advocacy efforts for affordable housing policies, financial education and trainings and providing disaster relief assistance.

Bloomberg has been partnering with local Habitat for Humanity organizations assisting families across the globe to build better lives for themselves since 1996.

Over the years, hundreds of Bloomberg employees from Bangkok to Bogota volunteered in more than 20 cities around the world, strengthening families and their independence with a shelter they can call home.

“Few things are more important for a family than a good, solid home. Habitat builds or repairs are profoundly significant for the neighborhoods in which they are carried out. Working alongside families, helping them build their homes, has been life-changing, allowing us as Bloomberg employees the chance to help make a family’s dream of homeownership a reality.” – Mario Bermejo, Buenos Aires Field Service

Martha’s Table
Martha’s Table is a Washington, DC-based non-profit created in 1979 to initially provide a safe place for children to eat and read after school. The organization has evolved to address critical needs for children, families and communities by increasing their access to quality education, healthy food and general support.

Bloomberg has supported Martha’s Table since 2002 and our employees have volunteered over 600 hours with nearly 80 projects.

A special volunteer project in 2014 allowed us to give not just our time, but also our skills and expertise. Our employees worked with the Martha’s Table team to develop their IT, marketing and communications tools equipping them to tell their social impact, improve their operational efficiency and expand their reach in the Washington, DC area.

Our employees have served food out of the Martha’s Table food truck, prepared care packages for new mothers and collected and distributed school supplies for children.

“I was so moved working with McKenna’s Wagon, the Martha’s Table Mobile Food Truck, to see a bigger-than-expected crowd but also to see how grateful they were to get such a basic necessity from a society that often overlooks them.” – Katrice Eborn, BGOV Web Producer
Strengthening and enriching our communities is one of the core principles at Bloomberg.

To date, our employees have volunteered nearly half a million hours to over 5,000 non-profits globally, and supported more than 7,200 projects just with non-profit partners in the human services area.

This has enriched us as a company, making us the dynamic, energetic and culturally rich place we are today. Stay tuned as we continue to feature the remaining 21 philanthropy partners in our Bloomberg 35 series.

Bloomberg LP was founded 35 years ago and helped revolutionize the financial industry – making it more fair, efficient and dynamic – and that spirit carries through into our philanthropic work. Bloomberg 35 is a series to celebrate our company’s 35th anniversary, by spotlighting 35 non-profit partners throughout the year–as well as the people at Bloomberg who help these organizations reach their goals.