Vit Plant donates $39,000 to Toys for Tots, Bikes for Tikes
Employees raise $13,000 overnight after learning of toy shortage
Hanford Vit Plant employees raised nearly $13,000 overnight to donate to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves’ Toys for Tots campaign after learning of a toy shortage in our area. In total, Vit Plant employees and Bechtel donated $39,000 to the Toys for Tots and Local 598 pipefitters’ Bikes for Tikes campaigns. Local Toys for Tots coordinator and former Marine Glen Carter was at the Vit Plant to accept the donation.
“We’re having a hard time meeting the growing needs of the community this year and actually temporarily suspended operations because we were completely out of toys,” Carter said. “With the Vit Plant’s donations, we will be able to resume operations and ensure the children in our area receive a gift this Christmas.”
Vit Plant employees were notified of the Toys for Tots shortage yesterday morning, and, in less than 24 hours, they raised $13,000, adding to the $12,000 they had raised over the past month. The total Toys for Tots donation was $25,000. An additional $9,000 was donated to Bikes for Tikes. Bechtel followed up with a donation of $2,500 to each campaign. Donations to Bikes for Tikes helped purchase and assemble 2,000 bikes for the community, including 350 that are designated for Toys for Tots.
“Our project team proves year after year that they are committed to the community where they live and work, giving generously and wholeheartedly of both their time and money,” Valerie McCain, Vit Plant project director, said. “We are extremely happy that we can help the Toys for Tots organization re-open and help bring hope and joy to the children in our community this holiday season.”
In 2019, the Vit Plant team donated more than $425,000 to local organizations, campaigns, and programs, such as United Way of Benton-Franklin Counties, Second Harvest, and Junior Achievement. Employees also logged thousands of volunteer hours, teaching Junior Achievement classes, participating in DiscoverE, sorting food for Second Harvest, and assembling bikes for Bikes for Tikes.
Bechtel National, Inc. (BNI), is a leading engineering, procurement, construction, and project management contractor for the U.S. government. BNI’s successes include many large, first-of-a-kind signature projects in federally owned site management, environmental restoration, defense, space, energy, as well as national and homeland security. BNI is a member of the Bechtel group of companies.