While Star Plastics of Jackson County, West Virginia, is known worldwide for highly personalized service and custom color compounding of plastics, it is equally well-known locally for its corporate commitment to its community and the devotion of its employees to serving their fellow citizens. As a critical manufacturer, Star has continued normal business operations and provided uninterrupted service to its customers throughout the Coronavirus-19 pandemic.
Star Plastics President and CEO Doug Ritchie said, “As this pandemic reached into Jackson County and the Mid-Ohio Valley area, our employees were very concerned about how others in the area surrounding our two plants in Millwood and Ravenswood were doing. As our facilities were still operating, we wanted to do what we could to make life better for those who might need support. We knew that the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation was doing a great job getting help out into our region using its Hunger and Safety Net Funds, so we offered a challenge opportunity to our employees –that Star Plastics would match any gifts made by our people to PACF’s Hunger Fund on a dollar-for-dollar basis.”
Through the Star Plastics’ campaign, employee and company gifts totaling $4,000 were raised and $625 of in-kind food contributions were received, amounting to a total of $4,625 overall. The food gifts were donated to the No Hunger Food Pantry in Ravenswood and swiftly distributed to meet a variety of needs. A gift of infant formula was shared with Community Resources and immediately deployed to assist an area family with a young baby.
Grants totaling $4,000 were awarded from the employee and Company gifts as follows:
- $3,400 in funding for food pantries in communities immediately surrounding Star Plastics’ twoplants with $1,700 to the No Hunger Food Pantry in Ravenswood; $1,000 to Calvary United MethodistFood Pantry (Ripley) and $700 to Epworth United Methodist for its Food pantry (Ripley);
- And additional grants elsewhere in the region as follows: $200 to the Salvation Army of Marietta;$200 to the Racine United Methodist Church of Racine, OH; and $200 to the Williamstown WelfareLeague, all for the relief of hunger.
“Our employees are always ready to step up to help. I’m very proud of our employees and their readiness to share of their own funds to meet the needs of others,” said Ritchie.
This challenge matching program to address local hunger is only one way that Star Plastics and its employees have been giving back to their communities. Star has helped to access and provide personal protective equipment and desk shields for local healthcare providers and nonprofit organizations.
Executive Director of the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation, Judy Sjostedt noted, “We’re putting funds out the door every day to help local groups that are working to meet essential health and human needs to have the resources they need. As soon as resources arrive, they are quickly put to work back in our communities. We applaud Star Plastics’ employees and the company for their generous gifts to support local food pantries to ensure no one goes hungry in their communities. We encourage other companies to follow Star Plastics’ lead.”
To contribute to the PACF’s regional Hunger Fund, mail a check (payable to PACF, with “Hunger Fund,” on the memo line) to PACF, PO Box 1762, Parkersburg WV 26102 or make an online gift at www.pacfwv.com/HungerFund.
