Maxwell St Community Garden & Mintel 2023 Garden Partnership History & Mission of the Corporate Partnership

Prior to the 2022 growing season, an employee inquired if Mintel had any connections or opportunities to learn how to garden and grow produce. Through this inquiry, the Mintel Partnership Lead reached out to the Chicago Community Gardeners Association to inquire if a corporate partnership could be possible and was eventually partnered with Maxwell St. Community Garden for the 2022 growing season.

The goals for the first season were to understand how a corporate partnership could best serve the garden, to provide Mintel employees an opportunity and to not only learn how to garden but to also satisfy charitable giving/community engagement and employee wellness, and finally to formulate a partnership structure for the 2023 growing season.

The two-year Maxwell St. Garden partnership was a combination and commitment of two different Mintel Employee Resources Groups: Mintel Gives and Mintel Wellness.

Mintel Gives – Is a charitable donation program that supports employee interest and involvement in nonprofit organizations, focused on elevating individuals, families, communities, and small businesses. In an effort to offer additional opportunities for employees to be involved in philanthropy. Mintel Gives also coordinates quarterly charity drives and various community engagement projects. There are four pillars of service under the community engagement umbrella; Feeds, Mentors, Builds and Eco.

Mintel Wellness – An employee driven group whose focus is supporting the crossroads between physical, mental and social well-being. The four key pillars of Mintel Wellness are; Work/Life Balance, Fitness, Mindfulness, and Nutrition.

2023 Corporate Partnership Structure

With this Mintel’s commitment to Maxwell St. Community Garden will consist of the following for the 2023 Growing Season:

Mintel Gives

Mintel made financial donations to the garden yearly
3 Mintel Company Work Days
- 3.5 hours total per workday at the top, middle and end of the gardening season
- Work days were led by the Mintel Partnership Lead and a Garden board member. They:
  - coordinated with Mintel departments and employees to fill 10-15+ volunteer spots per workdayscheduled and coordinated a list of tasks alongside a Maxwell St. Garden Board Member
  - led onsite teams and to ensure work day volunteers abide by all garden policies and rules

Mintel Wellness

3 to 5 Mintel employees made up the Mintel Garden Team and were responsible for one 4′ x 8′ plot. Mintel Partnership Lead coordinated and held team members accountable for the following requirements:

Either grow produce alongside or supply produce throughout the season for a CHA neighbor
Complete, as a team, a total of 16 volunteer hours
Work under a Maxwell Board Member to assist in one of the following areas at least twice within the growing season
- Education / Communication
- Social Events
- Diversity & the Community Engagement Initiative

Corporate or Group Service Days

Interested in having a volunteer event hosted by us? Join us for a day of volunteering for the whole team!