Menu Sign In HOMEPAGE/NEWSROOM/ALL DOT NEWS Giving in Action 2020: A Passion for Giving Since Day One September 14, 2021 | 7:30 PM Dot Foods supports many nonprofit organizations throughout the year, like the Urban League of St. Louis. Along with financially supporting nonprofits, Dot Foods brings together Dot and Dot Transportation employees, charitable organizations, community members, and the Tracy family to create strong relationships and a lasting impact. The focus on philanthropy at Dot Foods lives at the heart of our company, thanks to founders Robert (RT) and Dorothy Tracy. RT and Dorothy served and supported many local charities in the Brown County community and helped build the Mt. Sterling Community Center YMCA in 2004. They paved the way for our company’s focus on caring for our communities. More than 60 years later, giving back continues to play a key role in Dot’s culture because of the generosity of the Tracy family and our employees. What makes Dot unique is the high level of employee involvement throughout our charitable initiatives. We have employee-led charitable committees across our 13 U.S. locations working with nonprofits to make a difference at a local level. The groups and causes we support fall into one of our five charitable focus areas: Community Development and Engagement Inclusion and Diversity Education Health and Wellness Public Safety Each year, our employees also raise money for our fundraising campaigns benefiting the United Way and Alzheimer’s Association. Our partnership with the local United Way chapters ensures that funds raised by our employees go back into the communities where they live and serve. Supporting the Alzheimer’s Association is a cause close to our hearts, as RT Tracy died of the disease in 2006. Through these fundraising campaigns, Dot matches employee donations to the United Way and Alzheimer’s Association. In 2020, we were able to step in when our communities needed it most. Dot locations donated excess product to local food banks. Dot Foods Mt. Sterling arranged pantry pickups, allowing nonprofits to pull up to our distribution center to fill their vehicles with food and other necessities. When our capacity to give outpaced local demand, our corporate charitable committee partnered with FEMA and Uber Freight to donate food across the country. The Tracy Family Foundation (TFF) also pitched in to help communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. TFF was founded in 1997 by the Tracy family to carry on the philanthropic legacy of Dot’s founders. The foundation enacted a COVID-19 Response Fund to support Illinois nonprofits. The Dot Cares Fund provides monetary assistance to employees during a crisis, such as house fires, natural disasters, or deaths in the family. Employees facing significant medical expenses may also be eligible when maximum out-of-pocket has been reached. During a difficult year, our fund was able to support many of our employees. Our charitable program continues to expand its reach. Teaming with Local Charities (TLC), our employee volunteer program, is currently established at our Mt. Sterling, Idaho, Oklahoma, and St. Louis locations and will soon be available at more of our locations. Through this program, employees who volunteer with affiliated organizations can receive eight hours of paid time off or a $400 donation to their chosen nonprofit for 20 hours of volunteer work logged. Dot’s Neighbor-to-Neighbor program allows each of our locations to partner with local food pantries to donate food from our inventory. Employees volunteer to unload product from Dot trucks and stock pantry shelves. Neighbor-to-Neighbor became an annual philanthropic program in 2016. For Dot, charitable giving goes beyond simply financial support. It’s about bringing employees, nonprofits, members of the community, and the Tracy family together to enact change. We look forward to continuing to forge relationships to care for our communities. Learn even more about Dot's charitable giving activities by visiting our Charitable Giving and Giving in Action pages. Review our 2020 charity report here. Resources Explore Dot Foods Explore Dot International Shop Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, and Terms and Conditions of Sale © 1995-2021 Dot Foods, Inc.® All Rights Reserved. We use cookies to personalize your online experience. By continuing to browse our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Read our Privacy Policy for more information. ACCEPT