HERSHEY, Pa., July 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY ) was recognized for the sixth time as one of America’s 50 most community-minded companies in The Civic 50, an annual recognition from Points of Light for companies that most effectively use their resources to help improve the communities in which they do business. 

The Hershey Company has demonstrated a passion for supporting vibrant and thriving communities for more than a century. “The Hershey Company was built with the idea of strong community. Our founder Milton Hershey didn’t just open a factory, he built a town,” said Leigh Horner, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility, The Hershey Company. “Today, meaningful community involvement is demonstrated every day by our remarkable employees, whose generosity continues to push us to work more closely together with our local partners to create strong communities.”

Last year, the company updated its corporate giving strategy to include a renewed focus on the communities where its employees live and work, distributing more than $5 million to 1,100 organizations through Hershey’s community giving program. The new strategy focuses on three key areas that help communities thrive: supporting basic needs, educating the workforce of tomorrow, and investing in community and economic development efforts that bring people together.

This week, Hershey employees are deployed across communities for its annual global week of service,  Good to Give Back Week . Throughout the week, thousands of employees will work with the company’s non-profit partners to support local communities around the world. During an annual meal-packing event with  Rise Against Hunger , the company expects to pack approximately 285,000 meals for communities in need, adding to the more than one million meals already packed during the previous five years. Throughout the year, Hershey employees are encouraged to give back to communities and are given paid time off to volunteer.

“The Civic 50 truly highlights the commitment of community and civic engagement of America’s leading brands,” said Natalye Paquin, president and CEO, Points of Light. “Points of Light believes that people drive change in addressing society’s growing and most profound challenges. The business community plays an important role in creating and delivering innovative solutions that drive social good in the communities where they live and work.”

The Civic 50 is the only award that exclusively measures corporate involvement in communities and provides a national standard for superior corporate citizenship and showcases how companies can use their time, skills and other resources to improve the communities in which they do business. Civic 50 winners are public and private companies with U.S. operations and revenues of $1 billion or more and are selected based on four dimensions of their U.S. community engagement program - investment, integration, institutionalization and impact.

Hershey has received the Civic 50 award every year since it was created in 2012.

To view a complete list of The Civic 50 companies for 2017, visit  Civic50.org .

About The Hershey Company The Hershey Company, headquartered in Hershey, Pa., is a global confectionery company known for bringing goodness to the world through its chocolate, sweets, mints and other great-tasting snacks. Hershey has approximately 17,000 employees around the world who work every day to deliver delicious, quality products. The company has more than 80 brands around the world that drive more than $7.5 billion in annual revenues, including such iconic brand names as  Hershey's ,  Reese's ,  Hershey's Kisses ,  Jolly Rancher  and Ice Breakers . Building on its core business, Hershey is expanding its portfolio to include a broader range of delicious snacks.

At Hershey, goodness has always been about more than delicious products. For more than 120 years, Hershey has been committed to operating fairly, ethically and sustainably. Hershey founder, Milton Hershey, created the Milton Hershey School in 1909 and since then the company has focused on giving underserved children the skills and support they need to be successful. Today, the company continues this social purpose through 'Nourishing Minds,' a global initiative that provides basic nutrition to help children learn and grow. From neighborhoods across the United States to the streets of Shanghai and Mumbai and villages of West Africa, our goal is to nourish one million minds by 2020.

To learn more - Visit: https://www.thehersheycompany.com/en_us/shared-goodness.html

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About Points of Light Points of Light, the world's largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in more than 200 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 4 million volunteers in 20 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people where it is needed most. For more information, visit  www.pointsoflight.org . 

Media Contact: Jeff Beckman, Hershey 717-534-8090

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/Attachm...ff22d5ac73