Earlier this month Lydia’s employees worked together to give back to the community by making a large donation of food and personal care items to a local organization. I was extremely impressed with everyone’s response and the huge collection of items that were donated. Giving is as much a part of the holiday season as receiving and it’s great to see Lydia’s employees doing their part.

I talked with my co-worker Natacha who was largely responsible for organizing the holiday food drive; she told me more about what was donated and who the donations will go to:

What organization was the food drive for/ who will benefit from the goods that were donated?
We donated to Mel Trotter Ministries.  Mel Trotter provides shelter, food, clothing, education, biblical studies, computer-based learning, and work training and experience for men and women in need throughout our community. To help those with drug and alcohol addictions, they also offer a state-licensed substance abuse recovery program. Last year thanks to local donations they were able to provide:

• Over 289,000 meals
• More than 950 holiday food boxes
• 6,192 daily food boxes containing over 130,000 meals
• 13,699 daily food bags
• Over 1,500 Thanksgiving dinners for the homeless and working poor

What types of goods were donated by Lydia’s employees?
All non perishable foods were donated, mostly canned fruits and vegetables, oatmeal, pasta/sauce, macaroni and cheese, crackers, peanut butter, tuna, rice and mashed potatoes.  Also many personal care items were donated, such as shampoo, conditioner, hair accessories, deodorant, and toothpaste.  Many people also brought in gently used coats, clothes, and shoes as well as toys. As a company we were also able to donate thousands of new shirts, pants, jackets.
   
Was there a positive response to the drive/ approximately how much was donated?
There was an amazing response! I was so impressed by everyone’s support and willingness to give. I know how hard the economy has been on everyone this year and the fact that people gave so much, even though they have very little, really showed me how generous our co-workers are!! They continued to impress me throughout the 2 weeks the food drive ran. We were able to send around 20 boxes of food and countless boxes of clothes and personal care items.  When Mel trotter came here to pick it up, our donation filled their entire truck!

Does Lydia’s do an annual food drive or was this the beginning of a new tradition?
We donate clothing throughout the year to other charities, but this year was our first food drive. I hope to continue it for years to come!

Did you and your co-workers do anything special to give back this holiday season? If so I would love to hear what you did. Leave a comment here and share your story.