‘MADE in New Jersey’ MFG Day 2020 Donations Top $20,000!
Manufacturing Continues to Care
Manufacturing is an impactful industry. Every action has a direct effect on a consumer, employee, the economy, or the community. ‘Manufacturing Cares’ is an initiative to coordinate the industry’s efforts to make an even more substantial impact on New Jersey’s citizens.
Manufacturing Day Raises Over $20,000!
Thanks to the efforts of the New Jersey manufacturing community, NJMEP’s virtual ‘Made in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day event raised over $20,000 for New Jersey food banks
Fulfill New Jersey and the Community FoodBank of New Jersey will both receive $10,000 in donations that are directly attributed to NJMEP’s ‘MADE in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day 2020 event that took place on October 2nd. Each dollar donated provides up to three meals to those in need. The $20,000 raised during Manufacturing Day would be enough to provide 60,000 meals to food-insecure New Jersey residences. At a time where uncertainty is the only constant, more people than ever are turning to community food banks and pantries to feed themselves and their families.
Both Fulfill and the Community FoodBank of New Jersey have continued to work through this chaotic time. Staying open to ensure New Jerseyans had access to the food they needed throughout the pandemic was no small feat. Their effort and commitment to the cause did not stop there. Upon learning they would receive $10,000 in donations from the ‘Manufacturing Cares’ portion of the ‘Made in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day event, they each committed to doubling the donation. That is a total of $40,000 being donated to New Jersey community food banks because of the effort by manufacturers from around the state. Both Fulfill and the Community FoodBank of New Jersey will receive a total of $20,000 each for their respective food bank.
‘MADE in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day needed to be redesigned in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It would have been easy to just cancel or push the event back until next year. However, there was too much good that a ‘MADE in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day could accomplish, and in these turbulent times, a Manufacturing Day was exactly what the industry and community needed. 50% of all registration fees were set aside under the ‘Manufacturing Cares’ initiative and went toward the food drive.
‘Manufacturing Cares’ Food Drive Breaking Every Record
The ‘Manufacturing Cares’ initiative pools together resources’ from the entire manufacturing industry, Madison Rotary Club, CIANJ, and Event Horizons to have the largest impact possible. NJMEP is a direct point of contact with the sprawling New Jersey manufacturing industry. Together, each of these entities reaches a unique audience to greatly expands the impact of ‘Manufacturing Cares’.
2020 was an interesting year. Chaos and crisis were the only constant. When tragedy strikes, the only guarantee is that citizens will require more support. Demand for community food banks like the Community FoodBank of New Jersey and Fulfill skyrocket. The community turned to New Jersey food banks at an unprecedented rate. These organizations needed a steady stream of donations to keep up with demand.
Even in an uncertain environment, the manufacturing industry turned out to support their local communities. The ‘Manufacturing Cares’ food drive raised over $100,000 in total throughout 2020. That equates to over 100,000 meals for food-insecure New Jersey residents. This dollar figure shattered any record ever set for the ‘Manufacturing Cares’ food drive.
Manufacturing is a vitally important industry to the nation’s economy. Beyond that fact, New Jersey manufacturing is an industry that continues to give back to the local community. These businesses provide competitive career opportunities, they bring money into the state, and through the ‘Manufacturing Cares’ food drive, they can give back and support local communities.
This article first appeared in Manufacturing Matters! Download your complimentary copy of New Jersey’s manufacturing magazine, today.