A RECORD-BREAKING GIVEMBER.
December 01, 2021
The Great Depression was a dark time for many, but Minnie Wilson was the bright light in her home and community. After her husband passed away, she was left to raise her two young boys, Chuck and Ernie, by herself. Even on a shoestring budget, she gave them an amazing childhood full of love.
Tough love, that is.
Although she couldn’t always give the boys a dime for the movies or a hamburger, she always (and we mean always) had a dime to spare for those in need. With that same small budget, she still managed to give back. That dime could provide someone with an entire meal or a blanket to keep warm.
Minnie’s generosity was larger than life. And it’s something that’s still a driving force for our co-founder and Chairman, Charles “Chuck” Wilson. He said it best, “If you can help someone, that’s the best thing in the world.”
This history of generosity and spirit of giving sparked what we now know as Givember. (See how we pushed forward to give back last year, here bit.ly/3FTirii) It’s our annual event at Ernest Packaging Solutions where we work together throughout the entire company to give back to our communities. And with over half a million U.S. citizens experiencing houselessness, the need has never been greater. See our video below.
During the month of September, our 13 divisions across the country worked to collect 30,000 personal hygiene items to donate to houseless shelters across the country. Something as small as razors, toothbrushes or even toilet paper can really make a big difference in peoples’ lives. Which is why we set a hefty goal for ourselves. But the giving spirit runs deep at Ernest and our divisions knocked it out of the park.
We collected 73,683 items—more than double our goal.
Check out the breakdown by division, below, and where the items ended up.
Boise.
1,903 personal hygiene items for Boise Rescue Mission.
Fresno.
3,220 personal hygiene items for Marjaree Mason Center.
Houston.
2,100 personal hygiene items for Star of Hope.
Los Angeles.
25,316 personal hygiene items for Los Angeles Mission.
Las Vegas.
6,735 personal hygiene items for Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada.
Phoenix.
8,227 personal hygiene items for Aris Foundation.
Portland.
6,414 personal hygiene items for Share Vancouver.
Raleigh-Durham.
2,876 personal hygiene items for Healing Transitions.
Reno.
3,880 personal hygiene items for Eddy House.
Sacramento.
2,654 personal hygiene items for Union Gospel Mission.
San Diego.
5,644 personal hygiene items for Brother Benno’s Center.
Salt Lake City.
2,800 personal hygiene items for The Road Home.
San Luis Obispo.
1,914 personal hygiene items for CAPSLO.
A huge thank-you goes out to each and every Ernest employee who participated. It warms our hearts to know that Minnie’s spirit of giving lives strong.
