National Intern Give Back, Summer 2009

On July 9th, all the summer interns at Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s participated in the First Annual Nationwide Intern Give Back Day. Over 125 interns from programs in store management, merchants, product development, and marketing volunteered over 600 hours of service across the country to various organizations, including Lotus House, Jericho Project, Tree Trust, Reading is Fundamental (RIF), food banks in various cities, and many more.

Interns donated their time at Lotus House in Miami and Padgett House in Atlanta, two residential facilities housing women and children suffering from domestic violence, untreated medical or mental illness, or financial instability. In New York City, interns offered their time to the Jericho Project where they painted the interior walls of a supportive housing unit for homeless and low-income individuals and veterans.

Many of our interns participated in our Nationwide Macy’s Bag Hunger Campaign, raising money for local food banks and soup kitchens. Some of the organization Macy’s partnered with included San Francisco Food Bank, Valley Food Bank in Los Angeles, Houston Food Bank, and West Michigan Food Bank. Our interns counted, sorted, and packed thousands of pounds of food to be distributed to families in need.

In support of Macy’s Turning Over a New Leaf campaign, interns partnered with Tree Trust in Minneapolis and Theodore Roosevelt Park in NYC. Interns pruned, mulched, and gardened in order to maintain and restore the natural landscapes.

Interns also gave back to the children in their community through Reading is Fundamental, Children’s Day in Austin, and Corporate Olympics in Cincinnati. RIF supports children’s literacy while Children’s Day and Corporate Olympics provided the children an opportunity for a fun filled day of activities, music, sports, and games.

With the success of the National Intern Give Back Day, our goal is to continue to promote Macy’s value in giving back by helping local organizations and communities across the country. We look forward to even more successful volunteer efforts in 2010!