"When politicians won't," Ben & Jerry’s support refugees
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Ben & Jerry’s highlights global displacement crisis.
- Nearly 80 million people forced from homes.
- Company calls for stronger refugee protections.
- Vermont supplier showcases successful refugee employment.
Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s released an official statement on forced displacement, calling for worldwide cooperation and systemic policy reforms to support the nearly 80 million refugees globally.
Emphasizing the human reality behind global statistics, the company noted that forced displacement occurs at a rate of 20 people per minute every day due to war, violence, grinding poverty, and climate change.
"Imagine closing the front door to your home behind you, and not knowing if or when you’ll ever return," Ben & Jerry's stated. "Hopes and wishes aren’t going to solve a problem of this magnitude. Millions of people, many of them children, are seeking shelter and safety... They only want what we all want: A safe place to call home, food on their tables, healthcare so that they can see a doctor if they’re sick."
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Company outlines reform agenda
Ben & Jerry’s called for systemic changes across three core areas to ensure refugees are treated with respect, fairness, and justice:
- Global cooperation: Addressing community displacement caused by war, violence, and climate change through international collaboration.
- Humane asylum systems: Requiring individual countries to maintain effective and humane asylum processes.
- Community understanding: Encouraging increased mutual understanding between host communities and newly arrived refugees.
The company highlighted its partnership with Rhino Foods -the manufacturer of its cookie dough chunks- as a primary example of refugee integration.
Rhino Foods began hiring refugees in Vermont during the 1990s when a wave of Bosnian refugees arrived at a time when the supplier was doubling its workforce.
Additionally, Ben & Jerry’s praised the work of its partner, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), for assisting people whose lives and livelihoods have been upended by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and rebuild their futures.
Concluding its message, the company urged the public to take action, stating that individual voices are essential in the current political climate to stand together for refugees so that everyone has a safe home.
