HanesBrands and its employees raised $2.4 million for the United Way of Forsyth County and surrounding communities, as well as donating food items and volunteer hours to community agencies as part of its campaign. United Way of North Carolina awarded Hanes with its Spirit of North Carolina Award for campaign excellence, the fourth consecutive Spirit Award and ninth total earned by Hanes and its employees. HanesBrands participates in the promotional products industry as apparel supplier Hanes/Champion (UPIC: HBIINC).
The company and its headquarters employees raised $2.2 million for Forsyth County, while Hanes distribution center employees in North Carolina and Virginia raised more than $200,000. Hanes and its employees have given more than $39 million since 1999 to help fund an array of services in Forsyth County.
“When we began the campaign in the fall of 2015, our initial goal was to drive awareness and increase employee engagement to support United Way,” says Hanes campaign chairperson Jaye Powell, the company’s vice president and general manager of socks and male underwear. “Our employees really stepped up and once again beat our goal. The community commitment and generosity of our employees is awe-inspiring. I am proud to be a Hanes employee.”
As part of the company’s campaign, employees also donated 10,500 nonperishable food items and $11,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, one of United Way’s partners. Additionally, Hanes granted paid time off to more than 400 headquarters employees to volunteer for a Day of Caring at 13 local community agencies. Employee volunteers contributed thousands of volunteer hours performing various tasks at the agencies including landscaping, painting, administrative duties and more.
During the weeklong campaign, activities held on campus included a kickoff celebration, silent auctions and an agency fair that provided employees an opportunity to learn about the various local non-profit agencies in attendance.
“Our corporate partners determine the success of United Way’s annual fundraising campaign and thus the fulfillment of our mission to strengthen the community,” said Cindy Gordineer, president and CEO of United Way of Forsyth County. “HanesBrands always goes above and beyond, which is why they’ve been honored with the Spirit of NC Award year after year. HanesBrands understands that community-wide solutions require community-wide involvement. We are very grateful for their generosity and support.”
