A good sign that a partnership will be successful is when both sides sitting across the table are enthusiastic. And the enthusiasm I witnessed during my first meeting with Jack HowkSM/Rescue Rooter® was telling.
The plumbing and drain company in Portland, OR came to me this spring with an interest in helping out our cause — which couldn’t have been at a better time as summer would be quickly upon us. When I explained that summer is an especially hard time for hungry children who don’t receive their usual free and reduced meals at school, the company’s concern increased. They understood the extra stress this brings to families, as well as our pantry, and their enthusiasm hasn’t slowed since!
It was full speed ahead right out of the gate, with the team collecting food for us before their designated start date. They place 31 barrels throughout the Portland metro area for the public to fill and even picked up food from customers’ homes, providing coupons to increase participation. This was done in conjunction with the Sunshine Division educating families at low-income schools about our services — in hopes they’d visit our food pantry over the summer.
This hard work and unwavering commitment meant that Jack Howk/Rescue Rooter raised more than 10,000 pounds of food for us! Listening to the stories the team shared with me after the drive, it seemed their customers got a kick out of donating. Everyone got on board when they learned how hard summer can be for kids who don’t always know where their next meal will come from.
The team went above and beyond in their efforts, including washing trucks and food barrels after hand-delivering their donations to our warehouse. On behalf of the Sunshine Division and those we serve, we’d like to thank Jack Howk/Rescue Rooter for being a great partner. We look forward to a long lasting partnership.
P.S. If you missed out on their donation barrels, Jack Howk/Rescue Rooter is still offering customers $1 off per canned food item on any service up to $25 through December 31st, 2015!
Jack Howk Volunteers