This time of year always brings out the best in our Schneider associates and allows time for us to give back to those less fortunate. One way we do this is by donating to some great local charities — specifically, the Salvation Army and the Rawhide Boys Ranch.
This year for the Salvation Army, between our three Green Bay locations, we adopted 40 Brown County families through the Adopt-A-Family Program. Those 40 families include 138 individuals — adults, children and newborns that would otherwise go without.
Gifts ranged from everyday household cleaning items to toys, and apparel to full sets of cookware. In addition to the families our associates adopted, we also had giving trees placed at various locations throughout the buildings. These featured teen gift requests and provided an opportunity for associates to contribute at an individual level and stick within a budget they can afford.
Our associates also donated gifts to the Rawhide Boys Ranch. This year we provided gifts for 41 boys ranging in age from 13-17 and for most of these boys this is the first Christmas they experience.
Charitable giving is an important aspect of the Schneider Way, and the holidays are a great time to embrace that piece of our culture and find ways to live this out through our actions. The most rewarding part is the thank-you letters from the families and a video of the boys opening their gifts.
Each year we get heartfelt thank you cards from the families who receive our gifts. Last year we received one from a single mom. She shared she was writing the letter on Christmas morning while sitting at her kitchen table, listening to Christmas music. The kids were happy and excited about their gifts and in the other room playing. She was so thankful at the willingness of others to share that she had tears of happiness while writing the note. Another was a card with an adorable scribbled thank you from a child with a drawing. It simply said, “thank you for my presents.”
