Surf Internet CEO Gene Crusie was scrolling through Facebook when he came across a post from a local organization highlighting the urgent need for food donations. Wanting to make a difference, he brought the issue to his team, and together they decided to take action. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, they saw an opportunity to tie the effort into the holiday, ultimately launching the Hearts United for Bristol Food Drive. The event took place on February 11 and 13 from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. at Surf Internet’s office in Elkhart, Indiana, with the goal of restocking the shelves of The Hub, a local community food pantry.
"We saw a need in the community and wanted to step up and do something about it," said Crusie. "Helping out is just the right thing to do. The Hub is doing great work, and if we can play a small part in that, we’re all in."
Surf team members collected donations from generous community members, including much-needed nonperishable food such as canned fruit, canned vegetables, dry pasta, crackers, potatoes, canned soup, cereal, peanut butter, pancake mix, and more. The Hearts United for Bristol Food Drive also collected select personal care items like shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, and soap.
These items will go toward helping families and individuals with income below 185% of the Federal poverty guide in Bristol, Ind; Washington Township, Ind; and Union, Mich. Qualified individuals are able to shop in The Hub’s pantry monthly to receive the groceries their households need. The quantity each household can take is dependent on both income and household size, according to the Emergency Food Assistance Program. This enables the pantry to distribute resources fairly and effectively between all the shoppers who visit the pantry each month.
“Donations made to The Hub make a huge impact for our community," said Food Pantry Coordinator for The Hub Sarah Burton. "Although we are small, business partnerships like this one with Surf allow us to offset costs of purchasing food for the pantry. Therefore, we are able to not only keep the pantry stocked for those in need but also free up funds to do more with families.”
Surf Internet is all about connectivity, whether that means connecting people to the internet to give them new and better opportunities or connecting people to each other so communities can support their members and grow. Bringing people together for the Hearts United for Bristol Food Drive was a joy for the Surf Internet staff, The Hub, and the community at large.
"It's nice to interact with the community and get to see some of the customers as they bring food in. It's great to work for a company that is trying to give back and support the local organizations in the communities that we serve,” said Surf Internet Sales Manager Dan Umbower.
Those who were unable to attend the Hearts United for Bristol Food Drive on either February 11 or 13 at Surf Internet’s office may still make a donation at any of The Hub’s regular drop-off locations: The Hub’s food pantry, Hardings in Bristol, The Bristol Library, and The Bristol Fire Station.
To learn more about Surf Internet’s services and community involvement, visit surfinternet.com.
