RICHLAND,
17
December
2020
|
15:44 PM
America/Los_Angeles

Vit Plant Donates More Than $60,000 to Area Nonprofits

The Hanford Vit Plant team donated $18,000 in toys and cash to the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots campaign over the weekend and $42,000 to other local organizations as part of its year-end giving efforts.

“Year after year, the Vit Plant is instrumental in helping us make sure local children receive toys for Christmas,” Glen Carter, Toys for Tots coordinator, said. “We are so grateful for their employees’ continued support, especially with the pandemic. This year, we’ve seen a significant decrease in donations and increase in requests, and their donations will be key to meeting local needs.”

With workers at the jobsite north of Richland and working remotely, Vit Plant employees shopped via an online wishlist, donated online, and dropped toys off at a drive-thru event Saturday at the Toyota Center in Kennewick. Griggs Department Store transported the toys to the Toys for Tots location at the Benton-Franklin County Fairgrounds. About $9,000 in toys were donated via the wishlist, more than $6,500 was donated online, and hundreds more toys were collected Saturday. Bechtel National, Inc. donated an additional $2,500.

To close the year out, the Vit Plant donated $32,000 to 12 other local organizations, such as the Domestic Violence Shelter, 2nd Harvest Food Bank, Yakima County Food Bank, and the Benton Franklin Crisis Center. Employees also sponsored more than 60 children as part of the Department of Children, Youth, & Families (DCYF) Giving Trees Campaign.

Bechtel National Inc. also renewed its commitments to the Bikes for Tikes, STEM Foundation, Arc of the Tri-Cities, Down Syndrome Association of the Mid-Columbia, Communities in Schools, and Modern Living Services with more than $10,000.

“Our employees are committed to this community, both through their generous giving and their dedication to this project,” Valerie McCain, Vit Plant project director, said. “We are so proud to be able to support Toys for Tots and these other organizations, particularly when needs are so high this year.”

The Vit Plant team comprises employees from Bechtel National, Inc., Amentum, and Central Washington Building Trades.

For photos, visit www.hanfordvitplant.com.