Working for a company that values input and encourages community involvement sounds like a dream. For associates at American Licorice, it’s a reality that they embrace throughout the year.
Nicole Krol, an accounts payable specialist for the company, is one such employee who enjoys the multiple community involvement opportunities provided to her. In La Porte, she often works in The Sweet Goods Garden, but just recently participated in a missions trip to New York where they rebuilt and improved a community garden.
“There was a community garden in the Bronx that two older women were primarily working in,” Krol explained. “It was a week of very intense work, lots of work, but it was a lot of fun.”
The group not only made the beds higher so that the ladies caring for the garden wouldn’t have to stoop and bend so often, but created handicap accessible areas to broaden it’s value to the community. The opportunity was an amazing one for Krol and the fact that she was supported by American Licorice made it even better.
“It’s so great to work for a company that really cares about the community, and even outside of just our local area,” Krol said. “It’s a great environment where we’re encouraged to volunteer and to give back to the community.”
Back in La Porte, Krol can be found in the community garden quite often. After gardening with her dad as a child, she feels comfortable in a garden and enjoys the opportunity to encourage growth.
“I always really enjoyed the food from the garden and watching things grow or start from a seed,” Krol said. “We harvest things once they’re ready and people from the community can stop and pick what they want. I’ve heard from a lot of people who have kids that it’s great, they get to learn about gardening and it helps feed their family.”
Krol loves to help throughout the area and at home, and enjoys the many different activities American Licorice aids in. From backpack drives for kids to the community garden, she sees a lot of positive work coming from the organization.
“You learn about different volunteering opportunities and why that’s so important,” Krol said. “It brings to light different struggles in the community and gives us different ideas on where we can volunteer our time and why we need to do it.”
Krol is just one example of how American Licorice supports their associates and encourages them to partake in meaningful work. To learn more or join their team, visit them at americanlicorice.com.
