The Boys and Girls Club of Northwest Indiana Lake Station location had a special event on Wednesday morning in mid December. It was the first of the six club locations throughout Lake County, Indiana that took part in an annual tradition of giving families in the area a good holiday dinner.
"Strack & Van Til has partnered with MillerCoors in an effort to provide meals for families in Northwest Indiana," Bob Jacobs, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Indiana Beverage said. "It's a six club tour so we'll be everywhere from Hammond to East Chicago to Gary, all the way over to Cedar Lake and Merrillville, and of course here in Lake Station... It's a longstanding tradition that makes a difference in people's lives."
900 families would go home with the components to create a delicious meal. Stacks of canned corn, gravy, cranberry sauce, bags of bread, entire frozen turkeys, and whole pies were at the ready on a long table. Smiling volunteers were helpful as they filled reusable bags for people who, after wishing everyone a hearty, "Merry Christmas!" or a genuine, "Thank you!" hurried home, excited to be able to share these gifts with loved ones.
"We have other teams at other Boys and Girls Clubs who are doing the exact same thing as we are now," Stan Swinton, Chief Merchandising Officer for Strack & Van Til said. "This is a great opportunity for us to give back to the community who has supported us for many, many years. We have a great company and we want to share our success with the community that we serve."
Strack & Van Til provided the food for the meals, MillerCoors provided financial support, and Indiana Beverage was the transportation for the initiative - bringing the food to the different locations and unloading it.
"It's a great combined effort between all three companies," Pete Cifaloglio, Chain Sales Manager for MillerCoors said. "We get to give back to the community and help people during the holidays. And everyone contributes in their own way so it's a great day."
People were able to sign up to get the holiday meals and enough food was provided to fill all of the orders. For those who weren't able to come out to collect their food, meals were packed up and stored for when they were free to come out to claim it. Very rarely is there any leftover food from this event.
"We wanted to help people in need during the holidays and work with our great partners," Chris Hudgens, MillerCoors general manager of sales for Michigan said. "It just makes sense to help people."
"We're thankful every year that MillerCoors, Strack & Van Til, and Indiana Beverage come out to our clubs and give these meals. They help out so many families across Indiana. It's because or companies like these that our families have happy holidays," Megan Henning, Marketing Manager for the Boys and Girls Club of NWI said.
Founded in 1954 in Gary, IN, the Boys and Girls Club of NWI serves around 9,000 kids from ages 6 to 18 and provides programs and services that promote positive development at their multiple locations throughout Lake County. Young children coming in with their parents got to see generosity in physical form and were able to take with them a positive message of giving and love. The example provided by the volunteers from MillerCoors, Strack & Van Til, and Indiana Beverage as well as the staff from the Boys and Girls Clubs will hopefully cause a spark that will warm the hearts of many during this holiday season.
"Being around people during the holidays is always fun, but the collective effort that comes in from everyone, together, is what makes it special," Jacobs said, capping the day's event.
