From June 1–15, 2018, the employees of Zoltek US headquarters collected nonperishable food items for Circle Of Concern in St. Louis, Missouri. Circle Of Concern is a community food pantry that serves local families in need of assistance by offering free groceries, financial support, scholarships, job mentoring, children’s programs, and holiday events. During the summer months, many children in the area lose access to the free meal program offered by nearby schools; contributing to the hardships of families struggling to support themselves financially.
Zoltek US employees were split into teams to compete against one another to accumulate the most food and personal care items over the two-week event. The commitment of the participants to giving back to their local community was evident from the start.
From day one, donations began pouring in. Points were awarded for items donated and the standings were updated often to keep the competition lively; thereby, resulting in more donations for the charity. A pair of one-day mini competitions were held during the initiative, including a toilet paper collection and a peanut butter and jelly collection. Those two events brought in 441 packages of toilet paper and 663 jars of peanut butter and jelly, the makings of a popular sandwich among young people in the United States.
At the end of the two weeks, the employees at Zoltek US had collected over 3,000 food and personal care items to help local families in need!
