News
August 31, 2015National Grid Helps Old Books Find New Homes
National Grid has a strong commitment to the communities we serve. The company supports programs designed to help improve the way people live, work and play, with funding that is available across their service territories. This funding helps assist organizations with achieving the type of outreach that makes this possible.
With this in mind, National Grid sponsored a “Book and Toiletry Drive” this summer to collect needed supplies for Grassroot Givers’ “9th Annual Day of Simple Giving” to be held in November. The drive was organized by National Grid summer intern Mark Bolton, an MBA candidate at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY. Through generous donations from their employees, Mark collected several hundred books for both Grassroot Givers and Books for Troops, a non-profit organization that collects and sends books to American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“We have collected and shipped over 300,000 paperbacks to our soldiers so far,” said Ellen Keegan, director of Books for Troops. “I cannot express how much it means to our troops to get them, and how grateful I am for National Grid’s generous support.”
Grassroot Givers co-director Mary Partridge-Brown echoed this sentiment.
“We have enjoyed working with Mark and we are very happy to be a recipient of all of his dedication and hard work,” said Partridge-Brown. “Our clients will certainly appreciate all of the books!”
Grassroot Givers makes the connection between the needs in their community and those who have resources to share. Their focus is to always give with dignity and to empower individuals and families who are trying to improve their lives.
Additionally, through generous monetary donations from National Grid employees, the company was able to present over $300 to Books for Troops to help offset the shipping costs of books overseas. Keegan says it costs about $20 to ship each box to California, where they are then delivered to the troops.
The experience left a positive impression on Bolton as he goes back to complete his studies.
“I learned that it is important to give back to the community, and especially to give back and help out people in need,” he said. “I feel touched that I can make a difference for people who need it.”
National Grid, in addition to this donation, also dropped off toiletries and some books to four regional United Way centers.
Local ABC affiliate News10 was there to cover the Grassroot Givers event. To watch the coverage online, please click here.
