Mr. Rogers, one of America’s favorite television personalities, often told a story of when he was a boy and would see troubling things on the news: “My mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.” Here at Norkol, we strive to be one of the helpers. We want to give back to the community that surrounds us and provide both support and awareness.
Community Responsiveness
At Norkol, we are responsive to current issues and act quickly to provide relief in any way we can. When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas this August, our Norkol family in Mesquite, Texas wanted to help. Like so many others across the nation, we watched the news in horror and then wondered what we could offer to help the efforts in Houston. We found The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), an organization that is dedicated to providing every animal with care and a loving home. They were one of many wonderful organizations that helped save the lives of animals in the wake of this seasons’ hurricanes. We sent the SPCA 200 lbs of newsprint to keep animals’ cages clean and dry in Texas shelters to support their mission.
In addition to helping during times of disaster and crisis, we also look at how we can support ongoing efforts in our communities. This fall, we supported Chicago’s 5th annual Back to School, Stop the Violence Music Festival by donating 200 backpacks to the organization. This event enables children across Chicago to start the school year with a brand-new backpack and the supplies they need to excel.
Deep Partnerships for Maximum Impact
In addition to one-time donations, we partner with organizations to increase awareness and maximize impact. For instance, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is an organization dedicated to building better lives for people of all backgrounds who are affected by mental health conditions. They promote a stigma-free society and want to spread awareness and education amongst our communities. We have sponsored NAMI’s Run for the Mind 5K for more than 10 years but more recently we initiated talks with them about how we can make a greater impact. We are proud to say that as of July this year, we have an ongoingpartnership with NAMI that includes wrapping packing news distribution in green wrap; the NAMI stigma-free and mental health awareness color. We then contribute a portion of the net proceeds from packing news sales to NAMI’s organization. Being an ongoing helper is something that Norkol has valued since it’s foundation and will continue to stay engaged in, in future efforts.
Helping Before It Was Trendy
Norkol has always been ahead of the game when it comes to best practices in the industry, and that extends to philanthropy. It seems trendy these days to “give back” as a PR stunt. We’ve been giving back since before it was cool, and we’ll keep giving back even if the fad passes. Throughout our organization’s history, there are many organizations and causes we’ve sponsored, donated goods to, or otherwise worked with. We have an ongoing relationship with the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. For the last 20 years, our company has supported Philadelphia Paper Cordage Association‘s annual Christmas party for underprivileged and disabled children. Over the years, we have sponsored many youth baseball and soccer teams. We are continuously and actively engaged in making our communities stronger, and we truly believe in stepping up and being one of the ‘helpers’ in our society. We encourage you to get involved in your community as well. After all, we’re all neighbors.