New Philadelphia, Ohio – During any given week across the state of Ohio, 230,000 people receive emergency food assistance, 35 percent of whom are children younger than 18. And 50 percent of Ohioans are left to choose between paying their heating bill and putting food on the table. The employees of Rea & Associates, a regional CPA and business consulting firm, are not content to stand idly by while members of their communities suffer. To continue the firm’s efforts to make a difference in their communities, employees organized the 14th annual Help Can Hunger food drive among its 12 offices. This year, firm-wide, a total of 36,525 pounds of food was donated to local nonprofits and food pantries across the state to help individuals and families in need throughout the holiday season – 7,350 more pounds of food than last year.
“The employees of Rea & Associates continue to prove their commitment to communities and to the Rea Way,” said Abigail Eisenbrei, internal communications specialist and 2017 Help Can Hunger coordinator. “Our friends and neighbors in need will be greatly impacted by the generosity of our employees. This year’s event was another huge success.”
Over the course of the food drive’s 14-year history, more than 291,000 pounds of food have been collected and donated to local not-for-profit organizations throughout Ohio. Those organizations go on to disperse the resources to individuals and families in need of assistance.
Winners of the friendly competition are determined based on which office donated the most pounds of food per person. The three offices that collected the most donations would secure an additional donation from The Rea Foundation, which is then given to the food pantry of the winner’s choice. This year, the firm’s Cambridge came in first place and won an additional $500 donation for collecting 364 pounds of food per employee, after collecting 232 pounds of food per employee, Rea’s Dublin office came in second and won an additional $300 donation, and Rea’s Zanesville office came in third with a collection of 165 pounds of food per person. Their efforts won the nonprofit of their choice an additional $200 donation.
“The Help Can Hunger food drive is one of our firm’s most anticipated events every year at Rea,” said Don McIntosh, CPA, and Rea’s CEO. “Our people always step up to make a difference in their communities because they genuinely want to give back to their communities.”
The Help Can Hunger campaign takes the form of a friendly competition among Rea’s 12 offices. Employees are encouraged to donate food, money and time to the cause. Every dollar raised counts as two pounds of food. This year, the following organizations benefited from the firm’s effort: Guernsey County Senior Citizens Center (Cambridge, Ohio); Christ’s Table (Zanesville, Ohio); The United Way (Dublin, Ohio); BackPack Program (Millersburg, Ohio); Christian Corner Community Center (Lima, Ohio); West Ohio Food Bank (Lima, Ohio); The Gospel Mission Food Pantry (Marietta, Ohio); Wooster Salvation Army (Wooster, Ohio); Medina Battered Women’s Shelter (Medina, Ohio); Share-A-Christmas (New Philadelphia, Ohio); Saint Gabriel Food Pantry (Mentor, Ohio); Haven of Rest Ministries (Cleveland, Ohio); and Genesis House (Avon, Ohio).