FRANKLIN, Va. — With the holidays just around the corner, the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern shore received a large donation at one of their newest branches.
In September, the Foodbank opened to provide assistance in Franklin. On Friday, International Paper's Franklin Mill team completely stocked its branch shelves.
This equaled 13,051 pounds of food in total, according to a spokesperson for the foodbank.
“We are so grateful to International Paper and for the generous spirit of its employees,” said Foodbank President& CEO Christopher Tan.
“It’s all about neighbors helping neighbors, and together we can begin to make a big difference in people’s lives.”
Each year, employees with International Paper compete with each other to see who can donate the most.
This year, that means that for reach employee, 41 pounds of food was given to feed families in need just in time for Thanksgiving.
“It’s fun to watch the teams work together to bring in canned food on pallets wrapped in tarps so we don’t tip off the other teams with our progress, make team road trips to the commissary to return with truckloads of food, or take our children and grandkids with us to the grocery store, with their own money and a copy of the Foodbank’s wish list," said Jonathan Craddock, the area manager with International Paper.
"With each experience, there are many moments of compassion and kindness – and that’s what it’s all about."