Generosity in action: INNIO's Waukesha employees and brand donate $10,000 CAD to Welland food bank

The Culture Council and employees from INNIO’s Waukesha brand raised $5,000 – an amount that was matched by the Waukesha brand itself – for the Welland-based Open Arms Mission of Welland Inc. (Open Arms Mission/OAM). With a focus on providing food, personal care, and other items to those in need, the volunteer-driven organization has recorded a 38% increase in children under 12 using the food bank. In response to this increased need, the Waukesha donation will support some of the city’s most vulnerable residents.

As members of the Welland community, INNIO is proud to join our employees to help the Open Arms Mission help those who are in need. Being part of the Welland community has given INNIO many opportunities, and as part of our core values, it is imperative that we give back.

Thomas Light, vice president - Operations and Supply Chain, INNIO’s Waukesha brand

During employee-led Culture Council meetings, employees of INNIO’s Waukesha brand discussed how best to support individuals in need of food. They engaged with OAM, which offers unprecedented support to the most vulnerable in the city. INNIO employees who had made a deposit for an upcoming event then were offered the opportunity to either donate the deposited amount to the food bank or have the deposit returned.

$10,000

CAD donated

38%

rise in under-12 food bank users

16,500

granola bars for school lunches

people per day served by food bank

In donating to OAM, INNIO’s Waukesha team helps give hope by investing in the future of the marginalized and overlooked. More than 10,000 people used the food bank in 2022, 3,213 of them under the age of 18. The food bank served an average of 30 people a day in 2019, but that number rose to 45 people per day in 2022.

OAM is experiencing an unprecedented rise in the number of people coming to the Mission. This donation from INNIO is deeply appreciated and needed. The need for food continues to grow, and this generous donation from INNIO will help put food on the tables of those who are struggling in our community.

Marty Misener, fundraising coordinator, Open Arms Mission

Image for press release - INNIO’s Waukesha brand donates to Welland food bank