- October 16, 2025
- Kimley-Horn Corner
Everyday Kindness at Kimley-Horn Provides $1 Million for Feeding America
It’s Cool to Be Kind
A handwritten note, a surprise coffee, a ride to the airport. These small gestures—inherent to our everyday culture and Core Value of Sharing & Caring—added up to an extraordinary impact in the communities our people call home.
Over 100 days, we challenged employees to conduct and capture 10,000 acts of everyday kindness toward one another through our Kindness Counts initiative. The motivation? A $1 million donation from The Kimley-Horn Foundation to local chapters of Feeding America.
The challenge brought our employees together and was driven by their desire to make positive impacts at work and in their communities. It became clear within the early days of the challenge that even the smallest acts—filling up a coworker’s water bottle, holding a door, or refreshing the office coffee pot—were powerful ways to lift each other up and inspire others to do the same.
By the end of the Kindness Counts challenge, we had surpassed our original goal, ultimately logging more than 11,000 acts of kindness across the firm!
Kindness Counts in Action
Our employees took this challenge in stride with thoughtful and creative acts of kindness. Here are just a few examples:
Charley made each member of their team a 3D printed model of a project
Corey bought large confetti cannons to celebrate a win during a team meeting for a new client in a new market
Angelo brought in a cake to celebrate the newly certified Engineers-In-Training
Grace shared her blazer with a partner going to her first national conference
Makenzie visited a partner in need during her lunch hour to make a Crockpot dinner
The Impact from Coast to Coast
As engineering, planning, and design consultants, we partner with community advocates and visionaries every single day, working to make the places where we live, work, and play better—for everyone. That’s why we are excited to support Feeding America affiliates to keep serving our communities in another capacity.
According to Feeding America, 47 million people are facing food insecurity in the United States, and it impacts every single county in the US. With The Kimley-Horn Foundation’s $1 million donation, we could help provide up to 10 million meals for people in need.
We’re especially proud of the local impact of this donation. Pairing Kimley-Horn offices with local Feeding America affiliates means more than 80 affiliates in 25 plus states will benefit from a meaningful portion of the $1 million contribution.
On-the-Ground Support for Feeding America
Consistent community involvement is central to the mission of The Kimley-Horn Foundation and a passion for many of our people.
Through our volunteer grant program, which empowers employees to directly engage in their communities, The Kimley-Horn Foundation further supports Feeding America affiliates from California to Florida.
Haley from our Atlanta team has been volunteering with the Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB) since 2023 and has received Kimley-Horn Foundation grants two years in a row. She organizes office group outings to the ACFB Hunger Action Center, where her team sorts through thousands of pounds of donations and packages them up to be delivered throughout the Atlanta Metro area.
Haley Unthank
“The connections made through repeat volunteering are deeply cherished (especially when sorting thousands of pounds of food together). Kimley-Horn volunteers have become familiar faces to workers at ACFB, and they always express appreciation when we bring large groups out.”
Six states away in Pleasanton, California, Cheston volunteers with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley. What began as socially distanced volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic turned into four years of serving his community, gaining a leadership role overseeing the service of 850+ households every Saturday, and receiving a Kimley-Horn Foundation grant three years in a row.
Cheston Cheung
“Second Harvest’s ability to provide well for our clients hinges on funding, and donations from Kindness Counts will continue to fuel that mission. Our site itself has experienced the effects of budget deficiencies and at times has not been able to provide the way we had previously either—so it excites me to know that Feeding America’s efforts are recognized and will continue to have a presence in the local community.”
The Kimley-Horn Foundation
The Kindness Counts challenge was made possible through The Kimley-Horn Foundation, which exists to support community involvement and our passionate employees who volunteer in meaningful ways. Learn more about our community involvement and how we are championing kindness in and out of the workplace every day.