On any given week, teams of Gentex Corp. employees can be found stocking food shelves, labeling bulk goods, or packing sack suppers for children. It’s not a corporate marketing campaign; it’s a workplace culture, one deeply rooted in service to community.
Gentex, the largest employer in Ottawa County, is quietly helping power the region’s most vital nonprofit services through a combination of generous funding, consistent volunteerism, and a company-wide commitment to giving back.
“They really, really jump in when it comes to supporting Community Action House’s work,” says Ricardo Valdez, donor engagement manager for the Holland-based nonprofit, which provides food, housing, financial coaching, and other support to people in need. “Just in volunteering alone, they send teams regularly. I believe they offer employees a certain number of hours they can apply toward volunteering, so they’re able to come in as teams.”
That Paid Volunteer Time Off policy, introduced in 2024, allows every Gentex employee up to 16 hours annually to volunteer on the clock. It is one of several ways the Zeeland-based manufacturer encourages meaningful community involvement.
“They also do third-party fundraisers for us,” Valdez adds. “We have a euchre tournament coming up that they’re organizing. Their employees jump in, and the money raised goes to Community Action House.”
Whatever needs to be done
The scope of support is wide-ranging. Gentex employees help stock shelves, inspect and repackage produce, and label food items, an important part of Community Action House’s “dignity-based” model, which functions like a traditional grocery store.
“Each team does something a little different depending on the day,” Valdez says. “That labeling is key because our food club works like a grocery store. Folks scan items to use their points, which gives them a sense of dignity.”
Gentex also contributed $35,000 through its Community Share impact program last year, among the largest donations to the nonprofit.
“The funds go into our general fund, helping to pay for food on shelves, the staff needed to manage those processes, trucks going out for Lakeshore Food Rescue, electricity, everything it takes to run the organization,” Valdez explains.
That support helps Community Action House meet rising needs. In 2024, the organization diverted 3.7 million pounds of food from landfills and provided the equivalent of 1.7 million meals to more than 11,800 people, up from 10,000 the year before. The organization also housed 118 people and engaged 2,816 volunteers across 65,000 service hours.
“Volunteer work is huge,” Valdez says. “We couldn’t pay enough workers to do all the work that needs to be done.”
Beyond food distribution, Gentex volunteers also support the nonprofit’s resale store and community kitchen. “They help clean donations, fix furniture, prep items for the floor, prepare and serve meals, and clean up,” Valdez says. Gentex teams also assist in programs like Refresh, which offers showers and mail services to unhoused people in partnership with a local church.
“That amount of volunteer time is invaluable,” Valdez says. “There’s no way we could raise enough money to cover those man-hours.”
Keeping kids fed
Gentex’s long-term support of Kids’ Food Basket is another example of how the company leverages workforce and financial resources to meet urgent needs.
From April 2024 through today, 116 Gentex volunteers contributed 387 hours across six events at Kids’ Food Basket, which provides healthy sack suppers to children across West Michigan. In addition to corporate-wide events, Women@Gentex, a business resource group, organizes bimonthly opportunities for employees to serve together.
“I am grateful for the continued, committed partnership and support of Gentex,” says Jill Dooley, senior director of philanthropy at Kids’ Food Basket. “They are an incredible organization that supports West Michigan through engagement and investment. Gentex shows up, not because they have to, but because they truly believe it is the right thing to do. It’s in their DNA, it’s who they are. It is evident in the way they care for Kids’ Food Basket and the community.”
Gentex’s philanthropy is channeled through its Community Share program, which invites employees to contribute through payroll deductions, item drives, and fundraisers. All employee participation is optional and fully matched by the company.
In 2024, the program raised $200,000 for six local nonprofits: Community Action House, Kids’ Food Basket, Good Samaritan Ministries, Gateway Mission, Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity, and Resilience.
“We attribute the success of the 2024 donations to the passion our employees have for giving back,” says Seth Bushouse, vice president of human resources at Gentex. “Any time an opportunity to get involved in Community Share is offered, we are always pleasantly surprised by the amount of participation we receive. In addition to the employee giving, Gentex donates at the end of the year. The total amount has stayed relatively consistent over the past few years.”
To make giving fun and local, Gentex partnered with Tripelroot Brewery for its 50th anniversary celebration, developing a commemorative beer series that helped fund Community Share.
“The owner of Tripelroot Brewery is a former Gentex employee and was excited about the idea,” Bushouse says. “Of course, we wanted to incorporate a give-back opportunity to the beer sales, and Community Share was a perfect fit.”
Bushouse says Community Share recipients were selected based on the range of services they provide.
“The six organizations offer a broad scope in the services they provide to the community, ranging across children’s services, housing assistance, and family assistance,” he says. “The organizations used the donated funds to support their immediate needs to continue their mission of helping people in West Michigan.”
Longtime partner against violence
One of the earliest and most consistent beneficiaries of Gentex’s community focus is Resilience: Advocates for Ending Violence, based in Holland.
“Gentex has been a longtime and deeply valued partner to Resilience, contributing more than $230,000 since the 1990s to support survivors of domestic and sexual violence in our community,” says Danielle Evans, director of advancement at Resilience.
“Their generous support helps ensure that anyone facing abuse can access free and confidential services 24/7, whether that’s emergency shelter for families fleeing violence, trauma-informed medical care following a sexual assault, therapy, legal advocacy, support groups, or other critical resources.”
Gentex’s annual sponsorship of Resilience’s fundraisers and participation in its Community Share Board helps sustain vital programs. The company also encourages employee involvement through Women@Gentex, which has organized donation drives for personal care items, holiday gifts, and even candygram sales to benefit Resilience clients.
“We’re especially grateful for the ongoing involvement of Women@Gentex,” Evans says. “They’ve helped brighten the holidays for families we serve by organizing gift drives.”
Gentex employees have also volunteered individually with Resilience.
“Many individual team members at Gentex have generously given their time to volunteer with Resilience, proving time and again that their commitment to community runs deep,” says Evans. “We are truly grateful for Gentex’s continued partnership and the compassionate leadership they show in supporting survivors.”
Gentex’s support also extends to housing organizations like Good Samaritan Ministries. Executive Director Brian De Vos says the company has partnered in long-term community development.
“Over the years, Gentex has been more than a partner; it’s been an ally in Good Samaritan’s mission to end poverty and homelessness, demonstrating a deep and genuine commitment to the Holland-Zeeland community,” says De Vos. “Their support reflects their belief in the strength, potential, and dignity of every resident. By standing alongside us, Gentex helps create opportunities that uplift lives, ensuring that our community doesn’t just grow, but truly thrives.”
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