Holsum owes much of its success to the tens of thousands of consumers who live within the boundaries of its distribution areas. To show its gratitude, Holsum has always supported numerous philanthropic activities in an attempt to help build a better society. In addition to providing products free to many organizations that feed those in need on a daily basis, Holsum supports many local efforts on an on-going basis. This quality was within Edward's mind-set (as an immigrant), with Lloyd's mind-set while he was active in the business, and this quality continues to this day with Edward's grandson. This is but one more quality that helps make America different from many other places in our world.

Going back to the very beginning when Edward Eisele purchased the Phoenix Bakery, there existed in Edward's mind a deep sense of thankfulness. Being in America was almost too good to be true. Granted, Edward was living and working in a town that was truly in "the wild West" where life was hard and there were no guarantees about anything. However, the opportunities seemed boundless and he believed in the axiom 'you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours'.

With that as background, you can rather-easily follow the pattern of giving by those at Holsum Bakery. Knowing that bread is truly 'the staff of life", Edward, then Lloyd, and now Edward (the grandson) have made the gifting of their bakery products to those who are in need a priority. Daily, since the inception of this company, Holsum Bakery has given-away its products to numerous feeding kitchens that attempt to nourish those who are destitute and in need. No publicity. No accolades. It just happens because it is the American thing to do. Unlike a bank that trades in currency, Holsum has an edible product that others need-in this case-to survive. As you can imagine, over the many years that this gifting has occurred, many hundreds of thousands of loaves of bread and packages of buns have been given-free of any charges---in an attempt to help-out those citizens who have fallen on hard times and need help.

Additionally, the folks at Holsum Bakery have contributed funds over the years ways to many worthwhile charities and non-governmental organizations. Several of those recipients have been listed below for your reading pleasure.

Arizona Woodlands, The Phoenix Zoo's latest exhibit in 1995, is a tribute to lemonade-makers. Opened in January 1995 on the Arizona Trail, the exhibit went through significant ups and sudden downs in the three and one-half years between conception and completion.

It began with a high motive: the wish to help save an Arizona endangered species from extinction. It got under way with the greatest of enthusiasm. Before long, though, that enthusiasm crashed headlong into hard financial reality. That's when the lemonade-makers took over.

OFF THE BACK BURNER
An exhibit for Mexican wolves had long been on the master plan for The Phoenix Zoo. Over the years, though, the idea had to compete with other projects for funding and priority. In 1991 Bobbie Holaday, representing a group of local conservationists calling themselves "Preserve Arizona's Wolves" or P.A.W.S, approached the zoo with a proposal to fund a breeding compound for the species. Mexican wolf numbers were steadily declining: the world population was below 50. Something would have to be done soon, or the species would disappear.

Ed Eisele of Holsum Bakery of Phoenix, builders of the Zoo's first outdoor exhibit for wolves, agreed to join the effort. So did The Phoenix Zoo Auxiliary, which pledged the proceeds from several fund-raisers to build an adjoining facility for the thick-billed parrot, also an endangered Arizona species.

At about the same time, school children throughout metropolitan Phoenix began their own fund-raising efforts. In the meantime, the zoo staff began brainstorming plans for the complex, researching the optimum Mexican wolf-breeding compound.

Two years later P.A.W.S had staged everything from banquets to bake sales, The Auxiliary and Holsum Bakery had made their contributions, and the last school children's pennies had been counted. The initial plans were completed and sent out for bids. A day of reckoning was approaching.

OOF!
When the bids came in, they did so with the impact of a punch in the stomach. The low bid was roughly twice what two years of earnest fund-raising had earned. As it often does, reality had a sour, critic taste. After the shock settled though, the lemonade-makers regrouped. Rethinking how the exhibit would be built was a necessity, too. The zoo could not afford a monumental structure an architecturally complex exhibit, so it had to rethink its approach to animal and message. Once costs for site preparation were determined they too forced creative pencil sharpening. It was quickly realized that if Arizona Woodlands was ever going to be built it would have to be done by themselves. They could afford private contractors only for those portions of the exhibit they couldn't do themselves.

According to Demlong (exhibits technician with the design team), 70% of the total labor came from volunteers-especially from the zoo staff donating their off-duty time. "The Wildest Club In Town was terrific," he says. "Their members came out weekend after weekend to help us. The Arizona Army National Guard sent equipment and people over to help with road building and preparing the site. But individuals from almost every department of the zoo donated their time, too."

"It was a lot of hard work and blisters, but we had fun, too" says Demlong. Everybody made mistakes, but we all learned on the job and helped one another. We got the job done and we gained from the teamwork." The Phoenix Zoo is the 11th facility where wolf pups have been born. Other facilities where pups have been born are in Albuquerque and in Mexico, at Durango and Mexico City.

WOLVES CAN LIVE TO BE 20 YEARS OLD.

At that time, Holsum's associates' cars were being stolen in broad daylight while they were working, graffiti was the norm in the area, alleys were clogged with trash, etc., etc., etc. The area was clearly headed in the wrong direction. Business people like those at Holsum needed help if a similar event was to be avoided.

Following those initial meetings with Phoenix PD, the leadership at Holsum met with the leadership at Murphy School District (in which Holsum's facility was located), for the purpose of discussing--with Phoenix PD in attendance--what the problems were in the neighboring area and what a business like Holsum might be able to do to help. Rather soon, it was decided to schedule a "Town Hall" at the school on a Saturday, in hopes of getting business-people and residents in the area to come and discuss their problems, hopes, and dreams.

As a result of that "Town Hall", the Garcia (named after the school in which the meeting had been held) Neighborhood Partnership was formed. The partnership was comprised of business people, residents, leadership of the Garcia School, Phoenix PD, representatives of Maricopa County, plus a number of state and county agencies. The purpose: to see what the group could do in order to clean-up the area, reduce juvenile crime, and to begin addressing those issues that the residents wanted and needed help on in an effort to make life better for them. A rather tall order.

Out of those initial meetings developed what grew to become a wonderful combination of people from all walks of life who wanted a better place to live and work. Buildings were demolished and the land was cleared for new housing, alleys and yards were cleaned-up, houses were renovated and painted, graffiti became a thing of history, street lighting was erected, a small "pocket park" became a reality, and the list goes on and on.

Among the more-significant programs that emanated out of this has been named the Garcia 'Adopt-A-Grade' program, wherein (in the beginning) Circle K adopted the 5th grade classes, Holsum Bakery adopted the 6th grades, Maricopa County Juvenile Detention adopted the 7th grades, and Fleming Foods adopted the 8th grades. Click here to learn more about Holsum's 'Adopt-A-Grade' program.

As stated in the beginning, the main reason for creating the Garcia Neighborhood Partnership was to reduce juvenile crime.

Associates at Holsum Bakery continue to work with the neighbors in the surrounding area, with the over-arching goal of helping to build a stronger community for and with the neighbors and children.