Nearly $60,000 Donated to Region Schools by Strack & Van Til, Ultra Foods, and Town and Country Market

Strack & Van Til, Ultra Foods, and Town and Country Market are committed to their local communities. And they know that giving back is one of the best ways to say “Thank you.” Recently, the company began an initiative where each store donated money to local community schools in the area. A total of nearly $60,000 is being donated to schools in Northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland area.

Over at Willowcreek Middle School in Portage, Town and Country Market gladly made a $500 donation that the school is able to use any way they see that will benefit their students.

“They can use the money for whatever they need; school supplies, athletic gear, anything they want,” Kevin Richardson, Store Director for Town and Country of Portage said. “This is great outreach for us. Our store is right across the street from Willowcreek and we love to be involved. We love having a great relationship with Willowcreek and the rest of the surrounding schools and to be able to give back to the kids is great.”

Amy Lugo, Front End Manager at Town and County of Portage as well as a Willowcreek parent echoed Richardson’s sentiment.

“This feels awesome,” Lugo said. “This makes me feel like our company is really in tune with what the school and community needs are, and it is looking forward to helping us raise good citizens.”

Store Directors of Strack & Van Til, Ultra Foods, and Town and Country Market each chose an elementary, middle, and high school in their area to donate to, and they hand delivered a letter of appreciation to each school as well as coupons for 20% off of all school supplies purchased during September 2015 at a Strack & Van Til, Ultra Foods, and Town and Country Market location. With 37 locations in the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana areas, over 100 schools received donations.

Kevin Rust, Store Director of Strack & Van Til on Old Ridge Road in Hobart presented a check for $500 to Angela Patrick, Principal of Hobart High School, and made his visit even sweeter with freshly baked treats from the store’s bakery.

“We want the community to know about what we do out in the community,” Rust said. “Being able to do this is awesome. People don’t realize how involved we really are. Without the community we have no customers, and the customers are the most important thing to me as a Store Director as well as to the rest of our company.”

Valparaiso High School also received a donation of $500. Lowell Cisowski, Store Director of Strack & Van Til on Calumet Avenue in Valparaiso hand-delivered the check to Dr. Reid Amones, Principal at VHS.

"Valpo is a special place. We have great partnerships with our community members and businesses," Dr. Amones said. "To have Strack & Van Til come and show their generosity to us means the world."

"Our company is one that gets very much involved in the community," Cisowski said. "We understand that keeping the community vibrant and alive keeps our business vibrant and alive. So coming out to all the schools in the area, we want to make a statement to all of them that we're here to be a partner with them."

For over 50 years, Strack & Van Til, Ultra Foods, and Town and Country Market have been deeply involved with the local communities whether it’s for the schools, charities, or other needs that can be met. The people of the region have given so much to them that giving back to the people in their neighborhoods, schools, nonprofits, and more is something that the company does with pleasure and appreciation.

The following schools have received and will receive donations from Strack & Van Til, Ultra Foods, and Town and Country Market: