For the eighth year in a row, alphabroder has partnered with Bridgeport Rescue Mission for its Great Thanksgiving Project. The event serves to provide Thanksgiving meals for families in need in the cities of Bridgeport, Norwalk, Stamford, New Haven, Ansonia, and Waterbury, Connecticut.

According to the mission’s website, “Families and individuals who register for the project will be receiving a turkey and bags of fixings for their Thanksgiving dinners.” Approximately 5,000 meals were collected this year.

Maria Koppy, vice president of organizational development for alphabroder, says this event isn’t the only way alphabroder supports Bridgeport Rescue Mission. “For us to be able to support them on this one day is great, but we also try to support them throughout the year,” she notes. The mission also holds events such as clothing drives and several donation opportunities throughout the year.

For Koppy, and alphabroder, being involved in the local community through volunteering and donations is a great opportunity to give back. Koppy points out that those in the decorated apparel and promotional products industries are perfectly poised to help. “Promotional products can be very useful from both a branding perspective and be purposeful,” she says.

For example, Koppy states that for the Great Thanksgiving Project, meals were being loaded into plastic bags that got heavy and hard to carry. alphabroder found a way to provide totes that are easier to carry and can promote Bridgeport Rescue Mission from a branding focus.

“Something as simple as tote bags can make a big difference,” Koppy explains. “[Bridgeport Rescue Mission] loves the bags because they deliver the experience in a respectful way. Recipients then have this great reusable bag with the mission’s brand on it so people know where to go to get help.”

Inspiring Others to ‘Pay it Forward’

Credit: alphabroder

Beyond the Great Thanksgiving Project, the mission serves to help its local communities and families in other ways. The website states, “We provide vital services to men, women, and children facing hunger, homelessness, and addiction, offering help to heal and return to the community whole.”

“It’s an honor to lend support to the Bridgeport Rescue Mission, who serves those in need all year round, every single day — and great for us to give back to the local Bridgeport community for eight years now,” Koppy says. “We appreciate the alphabroder team demonstrating our icare values in action … unloading trucks, packing up the Thanksgiving fixings in the tote bags (donated by alphabroder), and passing out the turkeys.”

Koppy says that in addition to the work with Bridgeport Rescue Mission, alphabroder participates in a variety of events nationwide and helps support numerous nonprofits and charities in their many locations.

Koppy looks at it from two different perspectives. Not only is this a great way to support local communities and people who need help, but it’s also a great way to build internal company culture. She points out that for the Great Thanksgiving Project, alphabroder employees from all different departments, from human resources to deco ops and more, helped out. It connected people with coworkers they might not have otherwise met, which Koppy feels helps promote camaraderie.

She also has a lot of personal involvement with a variety of organizations in her local area, so for Koppy, it’s her way of “paying it forward.” And she encourages other people and companies in the apparel and promotional products industries to do the same.

“Think about the the things that your organization has on hand that could be put to use for those in need,” she says. “We as an industry have so many products that are useful and can be impactful. … Regardless that our alphabroder team members are spread far and wide — we are all part of the ab team driving our icare values at every opportunity.”