What started out as the round barn, holiday scene, little red wagon and yellow brick road transformed into a gold mine of food donations. This year Figi’s, Gifts in Good Taste added a twist to its annual food drive.  Each department was challenged to create a Figi’s-themed sculpture with the food collected.

The Human Resources department claimed the trophy and bragging rights with its sculpture of the Marshfield Round Barn, constructed with brown gravy packets, tomato soup, cream mushroom and cream of chicken soup.

Eleven departments participated to collect approximately 1,500 items, eclipsing prior donations.  Food was distributed to food pantries in Pittsville and Stratford and Saint Vincent DePaul in Marshfield.  Food also was distributed to United Way Partner Programs: Big Brothers Big Sisters, Marshfield Area Respite Care Center (MARCC), Mary’s Place and Soup Or Socks food pantry.

“This will help so much—what a gold mine. Since we provide lunch for our participants, we typically use three cans of vegetables a day,” said Marilyn Seidl-Kramer, MARCC program director.

Record food donations are only the surface of benefits this drive provided. Activities like this increase morale and promote team building, said Pamela Rosterman, Figi’s, Gifts in Good Taste Vice President of Human Resources & Facilities Administration.

“We believe that we can combine team building with community action for a winning culture.  We have generous associates who love to have fun while giving.  It is a formula that makes Figi’s a fun place to work and gives us all that warm feeling you get when you know you gave something for the greater good of our community,” Rosterman said.

This caring culture is the spirit of United Way’s goal to create opportunities for a better life for everyone. United Way works to provide the building blocks to a good life by giving youth a good start, helping families become financially stable and supporting our most vulnerable populations so they can live safe and independently.

For more information about United Way, visit www.marshfieldareaunitedway.org or call 715-384-9992.  If you need help, dial 2-1-1.

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Register your organization to recruit volunteers

Let’s face it.  Projects and events take a lot of work.  Often it’s more manpower than your organization has—especially when you are small.  But to make a big splash, you can’t just limit your imagination to the number of employees or core members.

If you are a community organization, task force, service organization or nonprofit: you can register on the Volunteer Web site to post events or office tasks to help lighten the load.

First you have to register and create a profile.  This tells prospective volunteers a little bit more about you such as who you serve, your mission and your contact information.  Once our staff approves your profile you’re ready to recruit!

Think big … and small.  Volunteers can help with simple, but time intensive administrative work like labeling projects.  You can post to find help for daily on the ground operations like program leaders.  Or get a team to carry out your organization’s grand scale events that require many heads and hands to make it spectacular.

Whatever your need … there’s probably someone in the community perfect for it, and just waiting to help.

View current organizations and opportunities here.  Questions? Call 715-384-9992 or email us.

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