Companies involved in the flexible packaging industry participate in their communities and provide services beyond their business models. Here is a look at some of those efforts.
Fres-Co Makes Donations in Iowa and Pennsylvania
Employees at Fres-co Systems USA, Inc., donated to the Red Oak Child Development Center Donation in Red Oak, Iowa. They also support various initiatives in Telford, Pennsylvania, such as Adopt-a-Highway,a back-to-school drive, and donations to the Keystone Opportunity Center and the Twilight Wish Foundation. In Telford, Fres-co also will support a Women in Manufacturing Chapter Event in 2024.
Inland Packaging Gets Involved With Wisconsin Schools
Wisconsin-based Inland Packaging works with colleges and universities in several ways, including helping to judge sales competitions and speaking about sustainability in business. Company workers participate in the Day of Caring for the Great Rivers United Way and a family parade for Oktoberfest. The company also sponsors the Color for Kindness run and a golf outing that benefits a local high school. Inland Packaging has also become a youth apprenticeship employer, allowing high school students to learn on-site.
Emerald Packaging Gives Aid to California Schools
Emerald Packaging, Inc. supports Catholic high school financial aid programs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Those include St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda, Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, Cristo Rey De La Salle East Bay High School in Oakland, and Bay Scholars in San Francisco. In addition to financial support, CEO Kevin Kelly serves on the boards of the organizations.
Mica Supports Children’s Triathlon Program in Connecticut
At Mica Corporation, employees support Bikes for Kids and the CMAK Foundation. Bikes for Kids is a Connecticut-based nonprofit that provides refurbished and new bicycles to children in need. The effort also supports the CMAK Foundation’s Race4Chase Kids Triathlon Program. The triathlon is named after Chase Michael Anthony Kowalski (CMAK). He was a victim of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The CMAK Foundation and the Race4Chase Kids Triathlon Program were created in his memory. Mica’s donation provided bikes for 2023 but also ensured more children could participate in the program in 2024, the company says.
Flex Films Helps Feed Those Who Are Hungry in Kentucky
For several years, Flex Films (USA) Inc. employees have volunteered their time to support Feeding America by packing food boxes to be distributed in its communities. Their work is for Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland, which gathers and distributes food in 42 Kentucky counties. Since its establishment in 1982, Feeding America has distributed more than 300 million pounds of food and grocery items at a retail value of $459 million throughout central, south central, and western Kentucky—which equates to approximately 250 million meals, the company says.
Editor’s note: The caption for the main image features volunteers from Flex Films (USA) Inc. helping the Feeding America program in Kentucky. Credit: Submitted.