SELAH, WA - While many people see the holidays as a time for gift-getting, others see it as a time for gift-giving. The Rainier Fruit Company took this spirit of charity to heart over the holidays with its Pears for Pairs national marketing campaign. As part of that program, which provides socks to the homeless, Rainier Fruit staff raised over $1,300 during a holiday dessert auction to donate hundreds of pairs of socks and towels to the Union Gospel Mission in Yakima, WA.
“At Rainier Fruit, our mission to be Wholesome to the Core is about finding ways to give back and make a difference in the community and the lives of others,” said Andy Tudor, VP of Business Development, in a press release. “Pears for Pairs helped to shine a light on the growing problem of homelessness not just nationally, but even locally here in our small community.”
More than 3.5 million people experience homelessness each year in every state in the U.S. Over 570 individuals, families, and children are homeless in the Yakima-Selah region alone. In an effort to address this, the company launched its Pears for Pairs holiday marketing program this year in November, which involved a joint event with Hanes in Austin, TX, at Mobile Loaves & Fishes and continued on with in-store marketing programs at various retailers across the country. At the moment, donation amounts are being tallied up, and the company will soon announce the resulting funds raised through retail programs.
Not content to stop at socks, the Rainier team participated in its annual Toys for Tots toy drive, collecting over 800 toys to be given out to local children for the holidays.
AndNowUKnow will continue to report on these sorts of charitable programs.
