Southwire Technician Specialist Bryan Cole was among the company volunteers from six states who helped communities in Florida that suffered widespread hurricane damage.
Southwire designates substantial funds every year to support a wide range of community programs that include lots of employee volunteers, but sometimes the unexpected happens, and then it is important to react to an unplanned emergency. Below, Southwire explains how it responded to such an event.
On Sept. 28, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Southwestern Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, causing widespread damage and leaving millions without power.
In response, Southwire’s Project GIFT hosted disaster relief drives across several of the company’s Giving Back communities. Through this effort, nearly six tractor-trailers full of much-needed supplies were collected for those impacted by the devastating storm.
Volunteers from Project GIFT and Southwire’s agent, John Carter & Associates (JCA), were on site for the delivery and distribution efforts at Cape Christian Church in Cape Coral, Florida, thanks to a connection made from Southwire customer, Wesco Anixter. Because of the tremendous level of support from Southwire employees and communities across the country, an additional donation of over $9,000 was made to Second Harvest Food Bank, which provided meals to those affected by the storm.
“I have worked with Southwire for more than 30 years and know that they are the best at responding with resources to help customers get their power back on,” said JCA President Ed Hanner. “After participating as a volunteer with the Southwire folks that came to Florida and seeing and hearing from the storm victims that received our help, I now know it is more than just a great program: it is truly something special. It’s hard for me to put into words how thankful we all are for the gifts from the volunteers at Southwire.”
Southwire’s disaster relief drive was made possible by the generosity of community members, employees, volunteers and Project GIFT teams from West Georgia and Heflin, Alabama; Bremen, Indiana; Huntersville, North Carolina; Medford, New York; York, Pennsylvania; and Denton, Texas. They came together with the same passion for helping and ensuring that the supplies made it to the families affected by this tragedy.
“As a native Floridian, I have seen my fair share of hurricanes and the everlasting trails of destruction they leave behind,” said Kyle Tafelski, Southwire regional sales manager for tools, components and assembled solutions. “I am beyond grateful to have participated in the Project GIFT effort. The opportunity to provide just an ounce of hope and joy to the families of southwest Florida is something that I will never forget.”
Manufacturers GIVING BACK
This is part 14 of Wire Journal International's first-ever feature presenting 16 manufacturers that have given back to their communities: hundreds others could just as easily have been here. Each entry has a unique story, yet the common thread is the people—of all ranks—who care about their companies as well as their communities. Big volunteer efforts deserve applause, but so do smaller ones as they all head in the same direction. In a time when there is seldom a lack of daunting news, one can take pride in the industry spirit.
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Companies Featured:
Hitachi Cable America (now Proterial Cable America), Viakable, Acme Wire Products, High-Performance Conductors (HPC), Kris-Tech, Allied Wire, Ulbrich Stainless Steels & Special Metals, Inc., Cerrowire, Belden, Fort Wayne Metals, Optimus Steel, Prysmian, Minnesota Wire, Southwire, Service Wire, Alloy Wire International
Bonus Content:
> Employer alert! Volunteers make for a better workforce.
> How can a small business start a ‘giving back’ program?
