Hydro employee Breanne Lee is spearheading the company’s support for the Cassopolis Community Garden, an initiative aimed at combating food insecurity, educating students about the power of local agriculture and ensuring all parts of the community have access to nutritious food.
The community garden, developed in partnership with local public schools and Helping Hands, works to provide fresh, organic food for its members and the local food pantry, ensuring that everyone in the Cassopolis community has access to nutritious food.
In addition, it also serves as an interactive learning space for students. By engaging young minds in more sustainable agriculture, the initiative promotes both food security and environmental awareness.
“For me, this project is about more than just growing food, it’s about growing opportunities. By working together, we can ensure more people in our community have access to fresh, healthy food, while also inspiring the next generation to understand the importance and power that lies in nutritious, local, and organic food,” says Lee, who is leading this project for Hydro.
Hydro’s support of the community garden reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to being a good neighbor in Cassopolis, a community it has proudly been part of since opening its aluminum recycling plant in 2023.
“We’re excited to see Breanne’s initiative and passion for this project. At Hydro, we believe in empowering our employees to make a difference by demonstrating our values of Care, Courage and Collaboration. This is a perfect example of how our team members are helping to strengthen the communities where we live and work,” says Jeremy Courtney, Operations Director at Hydro Cassopolis.
The 70 employees at Cassopolis recycle around 120,000 tonnes of aluminum annually for key American industries such as automotive and transportation.
Through partnerships like this, Hydro continues to invest in the wellbeing of the communities it serves, one project, one employee and one garden at a time.
About Cassopolis Community Garden
Established in 2024, the Cassopolis Community Garden aims to cultivate a vibrant and sustainable environment for gardening enthusiasts of all skill levels. Its mission is to foster healthy living and strengthen community bonds through the art of gardening. The Cassopolis Community Garden provides fresh, organic produce not only for its members, but also for the local food pantry, ensuring that everyone in the community has access to nutritious food. Through workshops, volunteer opportunities, and collaborative projects, it engages residents in cultivating their green thumbs, while nurturing a sense of camaraderie and stewardship for the shared environment.
About Hydro Cassopolis
Hydro's state-of-the-art aluminum recycling plant in Cassopolis, Michigan was officially opened on November 16, 2023. The plant produces 120,000 metric tonnes (265 million pounds) of aluminum extrusion ingot per year. The plant serves a number of markets, while also supporting automotive innovation in Michigan and throughout the United States. Applications for the aluminum produced in Cassopolis will include critical automotive applications as well as other transportation uses, consumer and building system applications. Hydro invested approximately USD 150 million in the new plant.
Published: May 30, 2025
