Camden: Our Hometown Commitment
We are proud to call Camden, New Jersey, our hometown. Subaru has partnered with the city of Camden for over 30 years, allowing us to give back to our local communities and build upon our existing relationships through employee engagement, skills-based volunteering, and Subaru of America Foundation, Inc., grants.
We are passionate about fostering growth and creating positive impacts across the city so we can help our hometown continue to thrive. Subaru is proud of our ongoing partnerships with outstanding Camden organizations making an impact in the community.
Subaru of America, Inc., and Subaru of America Foundation, Inc., 2022 Camden Impact
Donated to Camden charitable organizations
Camden organizations supported
Donated in matching gifts by Subaru colleagues
Hours volunteered by Subaru employees in Camden
A message about our Camden partnership from Shira Haaz, Subaru Corporate Responsibility Manager:
The “City Invincible” is full of life, passion, diversity, and love for one another. I am constantly humbled by our partners’ spirit and drive. Subaru has developed a symbiotic relationship with the city of Camden through impactful volunteering, programming, and grant giving. We are grateful to be a part of such an inclusive and involved community of people who have given us the opportunity to progress alongside them. We recognize the tireless work from our Camden neighbors, partners, and colleagues, without whom none of this would be possible. Thank you for accepting us with open arms, and we look forward to continued successes.
Share the Love® Event
This year’s Love Promise culminated in our Subaru Share the Love Event. We supported local Camden organizations through these actions:
Center for Environmental Transformation: Built beehives that support bee populations and pollination around the city.
Ronald McDonald House: Made 670 canvases and packed 545 art therapy kits, which benefit the mental health of children currently undergoing treatments.
Volunteers of America: Put together 573 mindfulness kits for Camden senior citizens.
Food Bank of SJ: Prepared 600 meal kits that fed Camden youth.
Camden Love Promise Activities
Subaru Loves the Earth®
At Subaru, we feel responsible for the protection and preservation of our environment. In 2022, we supported Camden’s membership in the exclusive “Reimagining the Civic Commons” network. This is a learning partnership that is working to determine the best model for the long-term maintenance of Camden’s parks. Subaru is also developing an inner-city environmental education curriculum for Camden middle school students, through which they can learn to care for their surroundings, improve their health, and take pride in the work they do. Once completed, the curriculum will be available to over ten million students, not limited to Camden.
In support of Mayor Carstarphen’s Camden Strong Clean Up, we also sent dozens of volunteers to renew the city’s green spaces.
Additionally, our partnership with the Center for Family Services PowerCorps Camden provides students with knowledge of sustainability that they can use to implement eco-friendly practices in their communities.
Subaru Loves to Care®
We believe in being a positive force in the communities in which we live and work.
Subaru is committed to aiding the health of the people of Camden. We’re proud to have donated more than $30,000 in durable medical goods to Cooper Hospital, serving up to 600 patients in Cooper Community Health Clinics. We also supported a $15,000 travel fund for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of New Jersey, providing 30 patients with $500 each to offset the cost of travel, lodging, and food they needed during their cancer treatments at Cooper Hospital.
Additionally, we worked with the American Red Cross to host three different blood drives at our headquarters. We collected over 100 pints of blood, which went on to benefit almost 350 families in the area.
Subaru Loves to Help®
The Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit Program (NRTC) is designed to foster the revitalization of New Jersey’s distressed neighborhoods. Business entities invest in the revitalization of low- and moderate-income neighborhoods for activities related to the development of housing and economic development and assistance to small businesses, removing barriers to self-sufficiency and promoting the integration of mixed-income neighborhoods.
NRTC funds are used by neighborhood-based nonprofit organizations that have prepared, submitted, and received approval from the department for a revitalization plan for the neighborhood it serves. Subaru is proud to have made a $700,000 contribution to the New Jersey Revitalization Tax Credit program. This was a 40% increase from our 2021 contribution.
Additionally, in support of the Camden Fire Department, Subaru donated $150,000 in preproduction vehicles to their fleet for use in vehicle rescue training to improve victim safety during emergencies.
Many of our departments showed that they love to help in the city of Camden. Highlights from these initiatives included:
A New View Camden: In June 2022, Subaru volunteers gave their time to A New View Camden, an arts advocacy nonprofit. They spent time living out Subaru’s environmental mission by beautifying the lot where New View hosts its annual Phoenix Poetry Festival.
Boys and Girls Club of Camden: In October 2022, we donated hats and gloves to keep children in need warm, in addition to donating board games to support their teamwork and relationship skill development.
Board Up Program: Decorative Board Up stabilizes and secures derelict abandoned properties in North Camden to improve the look of the neighborhood and encourage investment and in-fill rehabilitation. As a part of Earth Day celebrations, Subaru employees painted designs on boards to be placed around abandoned buildings near headquarters.
Cathedral Kitchen and Joseph’s House: To support people experiencing homelessness in Camden, Subaru packed and provided Cathedral Kitchen and Joseph’s House with 600 personal care kits that included toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, hand sanitizer, handwritten notes of encouragement for the recipients, and much more.
Camden County Pop Up Library: Our team donated hundreds of books and bookmarks to support mini libraries that are free to anyone who passes by. We also built two mini libraries that will be located near the Subaru headquarters in 2023.
Subaru Loves Learning®
We believe that all students deserve an equal and fair opportunity to a quality education. In August, through our partnership with AdoptAClassroom.org, Subaru supported every grade 6-8 teacher in the Camden City School District. We impacted a total of seven schools, 88 classrooms, and 1,184 students. Each teacher received $500 and an adoption kit including much-needed school supplies. More than 100 Subaru volunteers traveled to schools throughout the district to help set up and clean classrooms, decorate bulletin boards, and more in preparation for the first day of school.
Subaru also supports the student-to-industry pipeline that runs from Eastside High School to Camden County College. Subaru is proud to support the revitalization of the automotive program at Eastside High through labor and funds. At Camden County College, Subaru and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition sponsor the Subaru Scholarship for Automotive Excellence, which offers six Camden residents the opportunity to be trained as automotive technicians and paired with Subaru retailers, where they are provided mentorship and full-time employment.
Subaru Loves Pets®
Subaru is proud to partner with the Animal Welfare Association to bring Vets on Wheels to Camden. Once a month, the initiative offers free inoculations and veterinary care to Camden’s four-legged friends. In 2022, 541 pets were supported through Vets on Wheels.
The event was held at Von Nieda Park, where we offer a variety of services for our four-legged friends. These services include:
- Basic veterinary exams
- Distemper vaccines
- Rabies vaccines
- Bordetella vaccines
- Deworming
- Flea & tick prevention
- Cat & dog food
- Microchip check
- Microchipping
In October, Subaru hosted its second annual Camden Make A Dog’s Day. Over 150 families and their furry friends joined us for a day of veterinary care and love-filled activities.
Camden Events
These events highlight a handful of the ways we continue to collaborate across Camden through impactful community partnerships.
Adopt a Family
We adopted 19 families from Volunteers of America’s Adopt a Family program which helps children, seniors, and veterans by providing food, toys, clothing, and a sense of hope during the holidays. Subaru is proud to be the largest group to adopt families in 2022. It took us 10 Ascent SUV loads to bring all the amazing presents over.
Camden Strong Clean Ups
We participated in the Camden Strong Clean Ups as part of Mayor Carstarphen’s “Camden Strong” initiative. The initiative focused on tackling blight, illegal dumping, and a variety of other issues. Over 60 volunteers attended the various clean ups throughout the city of Camden.
Camden Pride Parade
In June, Subaru employees joined the Camden County Police Department in hosting the Camden County Pride Parade. The walk began at the Camden County Police Administration Building on Federal Street and ended at Wiggins Waterfront Park, where refreshments were served. Participating members included the Camden County Police Department, Camden Fire Department, Mayor Vic Carstarphen, Camden City Council members, community leaders, and Cooper University Health Care staff.
Subaru Park Camden Mini Pitch Clean Up and Event
Last year, we partnered with the Philadelphia Union to help bring the Subaru Park Camden Mini Pitch to Ralph Williams Memorial Park. We continued our commitment to the park in 2022 by hosting a cleanup. A couple of weeks later, we hosted a soccer clinic for Camden youth through our partnership with Camden YMCA. Union players and coaches came to the clinic to help out alongside Subaru volunteers.
Subaru of America Foundation, Inc.
The Subaru of America Foundation, Inc. (the Foundation), targets employment and environmental opportunities that impact our neighbors in the city of Camden. In 2022, the Foundation grants totaled over $850,000 and helped create 248 jobs for Camden residents through a variety of partnerships with local organizations. Below is a list of some of our 2022 Foundation grants.
2022 Foundation Grants
Barnes Foundation: Subaru continued working closely with the Barnes Foundation’s Look! Reflect! Connect! program to help connect children to the visual arts space. This initiative benefited 450 Camden students through interactive classroom lessons, hybrid workshops, and visits to the Barnes gallery.
Cathedral Soup Kitchen: Subaru is helping prepare students for employment in the food service industry through the Cathedral Kitchen’s Culinary and Baking Arts Job Training program. All students receive classroom and hands-on training. Over 405 residents have benefited from this training since the project was founded in 2018.
Center for Family Services: The Foundation funded the Pathways to Success Workforce Development initiatives to help develop career readiness in the Camden community. Over 100 Camden residents participated in this initiative in 2022, specifically the InDemand program. Participants received access to job readiness training, social services, employment connections with local employers, and career development opportunities to help build their futures.
Girls Inc.: The Foundation strengthened its partnership with Girls Inc., a nonprofit organization with the goal of empowering more girls in early-grade literacy, STEM, leadership and advocacy, and economic literacy. Nearly 400 Camden girls participated in the Stronger, Smarter, Bolder program in 2022.
Hopeworks: We are continuing to work with our longtime partner, Hopeworks, in support of teaching tech skills to young adults in Camden. In 2022, we helped fund programming that eventually connected young professionals to 105 paid positions in our hometown.
Impact Charity Services: Our partnership with Project LIFT allows us to support 20 scholarships for Camden residents to take courses at Camden County College. These scholarships help prepare them for entry-level positions at Camden’s Cooper University Hospital, including phlebotomists, electrocardiogram technicians, and critical care technicians. As of 2022, 43 graduates were employed in the healthcare space.
Lincoln University: In 2022, we were proud to partner with Lincoln University, one of only two Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Pennsylvania. The Foundation was proud to provide four scholarships for Camden students currently attending Lincoln University.
Meet Eddie from Subaru University
Rainbow PUSH Camden County College Scholarships: Last year, we launched the Subaru-U Scholarship for Automotive Excellence, allowing six Camden residents to be trained as automotive technicians at Camden County College. This initiative, made possible through our partnership with Rainbow PUSH, helps prepare scholarship recipients with Subaru retailers to mentor, train, and help them gain full-time employment opportunities in this field. Our mission is to continue helping our hometown grow and help empower residents to pursue their dreams.
UrbanPromise: The Foundation is providing Camden teens with trainings, mentorship, and academic grants in partnership with the UrbanPromise StreetLeader program. In 2022, 50 graduates of the program were offered paid employment opportunities with UrbanPromise to help mentor, support, and guide younger children in their communities.
2022 DEIB Foundation Grants
In 2022, the Foundation initiated our first round of DEIB grants. The Foundation allocated $100,000 and utilized our Employee Resource Groups to best determine which nonprofits we should support.
Grameen America: The Subaru Women’s Network chose to support Grameen America and its program that focuses on women’s economic empowerment in Camden. Grameen America provides microloans to entrepreneurs while also giving them the financial literacy tools essential to their success.
Moms Helping Moms: Moms Helping Moms provides underserved families in New Jersey with equitable access to the essentials they need to provide their children with a safe and healthy start. In 2022, the Subaru Women’s Network helped Moms Helping Moms serve over 100,000 individuals.
PFLAG Collingswood: Out+Ally chose to support the Collingswood PFLAG chapter. These funds helped host seminars, chapter meetings, and community events geared toward LGBTQ+ youth in Camden County.
LUCY Outreach: LUCY Outreach started as a small nonprofit, and in 2022 it was able to move into a brand-new building in Camden. Out+Ally was proud to provide funding to recreate the iconic steps that represent LUCY’s humble beginnings.
Project Glimmer: Project Glimmer is dedicated to inspiring all girls to envision and realize an empowered future. BLENDS was able to provide crucial mentoring to girls in the Project Glimmer program and hosted an “Empower Hour” where BLENDS members sat on a panel and presented to over 50 young women.
Shoes for Your Soul: BLENDS chose to support Shoes for Your Soul, an organization that aims to uplift the economic and financial burdens of households by providing shoes and socks in Camden. In 2022, they were able to provide over 10,000 pairs of shoes and socks.
NPower: SARGE chose to support NPower New Jersey, which works to assist veterans and young adults from underserved communities in launching digital careers. Through this grant, NPower was able to help secure over 40 jobs for veterans and impact an additional 177 students.
Active Minds: Evolve was proud to support Active Minds, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting mental health, especially among young adults. Through this grant, Active Minds was able to offer accessible mental health programming to many schools.