Anyone who has ever worked in public education knows that when it comes to supplies and volunteers, there can never be too many.
So when Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama in August filled more than 400 backpacks with school supplies for students in the Montgomery Public School System, the district was understandably effusive in its praise.
“We are so blessed to have such a fantastic community partner as Hyundai, ” says MPS Chief Education Officer Dr. Reginald Eggleston. “Over 400 students received a backpack and school supplies thanks to the Hyundai Team Members. We are so grateful for their help and their involvement in our schools.”
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The August 18 donation was not Hyundai’s first Pack-A-Backpack campaign. For 6 years, now, the OEM has been giving back to the Montgomery community where it counts. The backpacks and tote bags full of supplies – $8000 worth — are aimed at helping Montgomery students throughout the year.
It took about three weeks for Hyundai employees to collect the supplies — selected based on the locally recommended supply list — from local retailers and fill up the backpacks which were donated by HMMA. Each backpack, according to Hyundai, contains copy paper, the indispensable number 2 pencils, a pencil sharpener, crayons, glue sticks, bottles of glue, Ziploc bags, hand sanitizer and baby wipes.
The backpacks were presented to representatives of the MPS and the Montgomery Education Foundation, who coordinated distribution of the supplies.
Hyundai takes some pride in its corporate acts of kindness. In June, team members of the company along with two Alabama-based suppliers, collected more than $20, 000 for the Montgomery Area Food Bank.
“HMMA strives to be a leader in corporate giving, ” says HMMA Production Director Craig Stapley on the company’s website. “We are willing neighbors who respond when we see a need. Feeding the hungry is near and dear to all of us.”
In the same media release, Rich Deem, the food bank’s CEO says that Hyundai “is one of the strongest supporters of our mission to eradicate hunger in Alabama. Hyundai team members are acutely aware of the great challenge their ‘food insecure’ friends and neighbors face daily. Not only are they concerned but they take action.”
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TEXT BY nick patterson // photos courtesy of Hyundai
