CLIF CORPS personifies Clif Bar and Company’s mission and values-based call to action to “Make it Good.” It’s a sustainable approach to doing business that benefits the food we create and the people in the communities where we live, work, and play. “We hope to inspire others to take more positive action in their communities,” states Clif Bar founder and co-CEO, Gary Erickson.
Kit Crawford
“Through the act of extending a hand, not just once in a while but as a regular part of life, we are changed as individuals and as a company.”
In 2017, the CLIF CORPS program reached a major milestone when the combined total hours donated by employees exceeded 100,000. That’s the equivalent of 48 employees being paid by Clif Bar to work full-time on community service for an entire year. While the program runs year-round, a single day each year is designated for all employees to work together on projects in their communities.
In 2019, CLIF CORPS chose to support National Parks on the Companywide Service Day. Hundreds of employees volunteered at national parks, monuments and historic sites across the US, Canada, and the UK. Retail partners and several Clif Bar-sponsored athletes joined employees to lend a hand.
In addition to working on valuable projects for the parks, the Companywide Service Day provides an opportunity for employees to get out of the office and connect with colleagues from teams they might not otherwise interact with in the course of their work at Clif Bar.
Drew McGowan, a Team Lead on a project at Point Reyes National Seashore in Calif., witnessed the impact Clif Bar employees had by contributing their problem-solving skills and manual labor to his project of clearing ice plants, a plant that grows quickly and can overtake other plant life. “My team learned how difficult it was to extract and move several tons of non-native ice plants up a steep hill in an efficient way,” he laughs. “It felt like our group was the only one around for miles and miles. In some ways, you take these places for granted. Our Companywide Service Day reminded me that I live just an hour away from some of the most beautiful places in the world and should get out more often to give back.”
Drew added “Another highlight for me was spending time getting to know other Clif Bar employees who I don’t work with day-to-day.” In particular, he appreciated the ability to connect with colleagues on a deeper level than he might otherwise do within the confines of the work environment. “We talked about our families, our passions, as well as the work we do at Clif Bar,” he recalls with a genuine smile. “In a very brief amount of time, I felt like I really got to know the people around me.”
Giving back to communities, experiencing places local to where employees live, and getting to know other employees while volunteering is what makes CLIF CORPS such an integral part of Clif Bar & Company. Just another way we continue to show up and “Make it Good” in the world.
Check out our IGTV story to see CLIF CORPS in action.