October 27, 2010; Source: Battle Creek Enquirer | If Kellogg Co. ever picks up and leaves, Battle Creek, Mich. will likely be in very sorry shape, not only because of the loss of jobs but because the Kellogg Company and its employees apparently give very, very generously to the United Way of Greater Battle Creek—making up an astounding 75 percent of its total campaign goal this year. John Bryant, Kellogg’s COO says that of course there is a culture of philanthropy at Kellogg, one of the legacies left by founder Will Keith Kellogg (hence, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation). But even Bryant who chaired this year’s campaign, expressed surprise at the size of the check he handed over since at $4.1 million it was $800,000 more than the company’s goal. The generosity must be commended but the proportion of the whole for which Kellogg Co. and its employees is responsible does bring into stark relief the state of local economies where a major industry has failed or simply abandoned ship.—Ruth McCambridge
About The Author
Ruth is Editor in Chief of the Nonprofit Quarterly. Her background includes forty-five years of experience in nonprofits, primarily in organizations that mix grassroots community work with policy change. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Ruth spent a decade at the Boston Foundation, developing and implementing capacity building programs and advocating for grantmaking attention to constituent involvement.
