By Ian Hobkirk
Managing Director of Commonwealth Supply Chain Advisors
For many corporations tied to the consumer goods supply chain, fall is a time to focus on fundraising and programmatic charitable giving, taking advantage of the small window between the end of summer and the start of the winter holidays when there is enough collective breathing room to devote some time to the causes that matter the most to us. I recently had the privilege of participating in two fundraising events hosted by companies we do business with in the New England area.
Two weeks ago, Commonwealth Supply Chain Advisors sponsored the 11th annual Imperial Distributors Charity Golf Outing at Cyprian Keyes Golf Club in Boylston, Massachusetts. Imperial Distributors is a wholesale grocery distributor focusing on non-foods items. This family-owned company was founded in 1939 and has always maintained a deep commitment to their local community in Auburn, Massachusetts. There was a huge turnout as Imperial’s employees, vendors, customers, and other partners all showed up to help raise over $60,000 for the United Way, putting Imperial near the top of the list of donors in that part of the state. (Fortunately for this writer, the fundraising was not tied to a golfer’s ability on the course!).
A few days later, I had a chance to attend the Life is good Festival in Canton, Massachusetts. Many of us are familiar with Life is good’s apparel, featuring the iconic stick figure “Jake” engaged in an endless array of fun activities, always with a huge smile on his face. The company was founded by brothers Bert and John Jacobs who began by selling t-shirts out of the back of a van in Boston in 1994, and has grown to over 4,500 stores nationwide. Their annual two-day festival has grown to a huge event, with artists Jack Johnson and Hall & Oates headlining this year. The festival featured a variety of live entertainment, good food and drink, and activities for all ages. Over $1 million was raised for the Life is good Kids Foundation, which is dedicated to helping kids overcome poverty, violence and illness through the power of play.
Imperial Distributors and Life is good have both made sound investments in their supply chains over the years to ensure that they remain on a solid financial footing for years to come. These decisions have put them in a position to be able to give back to the community at large, and to inspire others in their business network to do the same. We applaud these efforts by businesses to make a real contribution to social issues that affect us all.
Links:
http://www.imperialdist.com/community-involvement/
http://www.lifeisgood.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-LIG-Site/default/CMS-Content?cid=playmakers