As part of our annual tradition of giving, ABW employees are encouraged to donate presents to kids in need this winter.
It’s that time of year again — a time to celebrate, but also a time to give back to those less fortunate in our community.
For the past 10 years or so, ABW has partnered with the Department of Social and Health Services to give presents to kids in foster care during the holidays.
We've recently set up two “giving trees” — one in the main office and another in the plant lunch room. Each tree features tags with suggested toys or clothing items for a child. The Department of Social & Health Services provides us with this information so we can be sure the children receive items they truly need (coat, shoes, etc.).
“The ages range from newborn to 18. Most of these kids are in terrible situations, shuffled from one foster home to another,” Finance Manager Betty Hanley explains. “We choose the number of children to sponsor based on the number of employees we have this time of year. We have sponsored as many as 30 kids. This year we’ll sponsor between 12 and 15 children.”
Employees are encouraged to choose tags, purchase and wrap the gifts, and then drop them back off under the tree. ABW will purchase gifts for any child with tags left on the tree.