Doing Acts of Good Helps Our Communities Grow

The 2023 Acts of Good Award Winners

While walking his dog, Preston Ross III decided that he was going to do something about the trash he was noticing all over Raleigh. Eventually he invited others to join him, and the The Great Raleigh Cleanup was born. With the help of 1,052 unique volunteers, Preston has removed over 100,000 pounds of trash from his beloved city.

When Rebekah TenBrink and her husband moved to Leelanau County, Michigan, they learned that there wasn’t much for kids to do in the small town. Their home became a gathering place for young people to connect, which led Rebekah to create LIFT, an inclusive haven for middle and high schoolers to discover and embrace their unique individual strengths.

Mike "Wags" Wagenberg is the owner and director of Driftwood Day Camp, which offers a safe and exciting summer home for campers. Wags creates a sense of community long after camp is over —providing care to former campers who are sick, and rallying donations of toys, school supplies, nonperishable goods and gently used sneakers to those in need.

We celebrate the individuals who are giving back and strengthening their communities. These winners will receive a $1,000 donation to a nonprofit organization of their choice and will see their work highlighted by Upworthy, bringing visibility to their good work.

Follow along with the below stories to meet some of P&G’s dedicated partners and the incredible people making a positive impact in communities around the country.

Because of the tireless actions of volunteers, including Irina Mirabales and Charity Miller, who have come together to help support the community they love — Fort Myers, Florida — residents have both help and hope after Hurricane Ian. The pair began working with the nonprofit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization Matthew 25: Ministries, a P&G partner whose mission is the same as both Mirables’ and Miller’s: to support the people of Fort Myers for as long as it takes to rebuild their lives and their community.

In emergencies, P&G brands like Charmin, Dawn and Pantene play an integral role in immediate disaster relief, alongside programs like Tide Loads of Hope, which bring mobile laundry trucks to disaster areas, where residents’ clothing is laundered free of charge. P&G has also committed to ongoing support for the community by donating personal care kits and truckloads of cleaning products like Bounty paper towels, Mr. Clean and Microban to area residents in need for distribution by Matthew 25: Ministries’ volunteers.

Helping Hands During Hard Times

Thanks to organizations like Second Harvest Heartland Food Bank, people have a resource that provides the fresh food, canned goods and household supplies that families need. In Second Harvest’s 233,000-square-foot facility in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, they serve 59 counties across Minnesota and Wisconsin — around 800,000 people a year.

The Second Harvest team collects donated and rescued food, as well as household and personal items donated by P&G and other companies that are packed and distributed to those in need. From Pampers diapers to Pantene shampoo to Tide laundry items and period products like Always and Tampax, P&G provides the everyday necessities beyond food that are essential for people to live.

One of Su Casa’s most crucial roles is helping to connect children with resources and opportunities. P&G also supports a summer program run by Su Casa, called Vaciones Útiles (Useful Vacations), which provides bilingual academic content and free meals for Spanish-speaking children.

Doing Acts of Good is core to our culture at P&G. You can help us and take action too.

Learn more about how P&G is helping communities grow, be inspired by our employee volunteers doing Acts of Good where they live and work and join us to do more Acts of Good at P&G Good Everyday.