Doing good feels good
Winston Churchill once said that “we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” That’s one good reason to give back to others in both your personal and work life.
Not only does charitable giving help people, it builds a reserve of goodwill in your community. And working together on service projects boosts morale and helps you build relationships with co-workers and others you wouldn’t typically meet.
To inspire you, we’re sharing examples of charitable giving projects at Integrity Fiber Supply and Shillington Box. We hope they’ll inspire you to support service projects at your facility. Let’s start something good!
Food for thought
Each year, Integrity Fiber Supply donates a percentage of its profits to the community. “We want to give in the areas where our employees work and live, so we focus on Akron, Ohio; Kalamazoo, Michigan; Indianapolis; and Jacksonville, Florida,” said Rick Torbeck, Integrity’s president. To choose where to give, everyone at Integrity, including hourly employees, suggests organizations that need help. This inclusive nomination and selection process has led Integrity to choose small philanthropic organizations in communities where donations can make a big impact.
Here’s an example: In Jacksonville, Florida, Quinn Garber, who works in sales at River Valley Paper Company, recommended Barnabas Center, a charity that provides food programs, health services and crisis assistance in Nassau County, Florida. “They do everything you can think of to help get people back on their feet,” said Quinn, who learned about Barnabas Center through a Christian men’s group. Quinn volunteers to help with Barnabas Center meal deliveries every other Friday, often with his dad and others in his mens’ group. “I never would have imagined there was so much need,” Quinn said. “We see these people in our community.”
Integrity Fiber Supply chose to help support Barnabas Center financially, too. In 2021, Integrity sent the organization a $10,000 check, and in 2022 it donated $12,500. After sending the donation, Quinn got a call from a volunteer who told him Integrity’s donation would help fund the Barnabas Center food bank. “We didn’t know how we would fund this program,” the volunteer said. “Your check will get us through the year.”
Boxes of joy
At Shillington Box, a Royal Group Company located in St. Louis, Missouri, employees volunteer their time to help organize and fill boxes for H.E.R.O.E.S. CARE, which provides support to the U.S. military and their families. To date, Shillington has donated 15,000 boxes to H.E.R.O.E.S. CARE, and will continue with the project every quarter. Read more and see a photo gallery.
For the last 10 years, Shillington Box has also donated boxes to a local toy drive. The group at Shillington teams up with local fire protection districts. Firefighters use Shillington boxes to collect unwrapped toys and make sure every child in the community has a gift to unwrap for the holidays. See the story.
