AMHERST – The team at Amherst Weston Bakeries has done it again.
“Amherst has raised more money than any of our 40 plants across Canada for two years in a row,” Weston Bakeries vice-president of community affairs, Tamara Rebanks, said. “It shows how generous the people of Amherst are.”
The 2011 children’s charity of choice for Employees at Amherst Weston Bakeries was the Cumberland Early Intervention Program. They raised $25,889.11 in one month, all of which was matched by George Weston Limited as part of the company-wide Wonder Cares campaign.
The grand total raised for the CEIP was $51,778.22.
“We’re very proud of what the employees have accomplished,” Weston Bakeries plant manager, Tyler McLeod, said. “No matter what the challenge, they go above and beyond.”
Last year’s goal at the plant was to raise $2,000 for Maggie’s Place and, after the funds were matched by the Wonder Cares campaign, they ended up raising $37,668.00.
This year they upped the ante.
“Our goal was to raise $20,000 and we raised over $25,000,” McLeod said.
“It shows the heart our employees have,” Amherst Weston Bakeries human resource manager, Susan Higgins, said.
The money will be used for the Smile Program, which is a recreational program at the CEIP for children aged 3-years-old to 21-years-old who have special needs, both physical and intellectual.
“We’re trying to get the kids active because they often can’t access the typical recreational programs because of their needs,” Perry said. “A big donation like this means that, instead of the staff having to take the time off to do a whole bunch of little fundraisers, we can dedicate more time to work directly with the families and running the programs.”
Hats up to all the employees of Weston Bakeries! You are giving a smile to all the children using this fantastic program. The families using the Smile program will feel more supported by the Community! Way to go Amherst! Keep the support going!