VF Corp. has once again held its “Purpose Days” program. During the week of Sept. 9, some 500 employees in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) have been volunteering their time for various activities to support their communities. Working with non-profit organizations, the American lifestyle company, which owns many brands including Timberland and Vans, has devised a variety of activities both to meet the needs of these communities and to satisfy the preferences of the volunteers. Timberland alone has been doing the same thing for many years. The major themes are environmental awareness, social problems and animal care. This year, the activities will be taking place simultaneously in Italy, Switzerland, the U.K., Belgium, Russia, France and Turkey, with Spain to follow. According to Anna Maria Rugarli, senior director of sustainability and corporate social responsibility for the EMEA region, volunteers employed by VF have logged more than 20,000 service hours since 2014. The company hopes to increase that figure to one million by 2025.