As part of its 175th celebrations, Hancock Lumber teamed up with nonprofit World of Change this fall to give back to local and state-wide organizations during their anniversary year. Each of their 17 locations across Maine and New Hampshire selected an organization of their choice and collected coins to go toward their favorite cause.
World of Change (WOC) is a rapidly growing nonprofit movement that uses spare change (literally pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters) as a tool to teach kids and adults alike about the power of their change and their collective capacity to make a world of change. WOC empowers people to exercise their voice and choice, allowing them to learn about essential community needs and choose their impact.
Hancock Lumber is the proud founding sponsor of the World of Change truck, which is utilized across New England (and beyond!) at summer camps, schools, and businesses alike to collect change and give back to those in need. As a thank you for the continued support during their 175th Anniversary year, WOC helped Hancock organize a company-wide change drive, giving autonomy to each location to choose an organization meaningful to them.
Do you know an estimated $10B in change is sitting idle here in the USA? Of this, approximately $62M is discarded annually. Meanwhile, too many children and families in this country and worldwide need the essentials to survive and thrive. World of Change’s goal is to rally groups around essential community needs—like housing, food, health, animals + nature, education, and play—empowering them to invest in their collective change where they choose. Executive Director and Founder, Matt Hoidal, commented, “Everyone has a role to play, and something to give. The Hancock Lumber community epitomizes individual and joint commitment to doing well by doing good. We are a grateful partner, and thankful for the opportunity to celebrate this 175th anniversary occasion – together rallying positive change for those in need.”
From September through the end of October this year, employees and customers alike had the opportunity to drop collected change or make a cash donation to the organization of each location’s choice. Organizations ranged from animal shelters and food pantries to physical and mental health research programs. Hancock Lumber nurtures a culture where “Everybody Leads”—and, empowering each location to select an organization meaningful to them is just another way it aims to live by this motto.
A total of 28,146 coins weighing in at 316.6lbs was collected across locations with a lot of amazing highlights; the Pittsfield Mill alone collected 12,739 coins, the Madison Mill a total of 5,081, and the Kennebunk team an impressive 3,467 coins. Hancock Lumber’s corporate giving team offered up a company match, bringing the grand total to $20,000 going back to community organizations. The list of beneficiaries were as follows: NAMI Maine, Waddles for a Cause, End 68 hours of hunger, Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals, Saco Food Pantry, Conway Humane Society, Midcoast Humane Society, Harvest Hills Animal Shelter, Kennebec Valley Humane Society, Community Outreach Services (Food Pantry), Maine Blue Collar Scholarship Foundation, The Bethel Food Panty, Maine Children’s Cancer Program Through the Sebasticook Valley Elks, and Jen’s Friends Cancer Foundation.
On top of the change collected, Hancock Lumber’s charitable giving committee voted to donate their matching funds to NAMI Maine for their continued work to provide advocacy, education, and support so that all individuals, families, and communities affected by mental illness can live fulfilling lives. The final World of Change check was written for $20,000 across all organizations and non-profits, with $10,000 going to NAMI Maine.
To learn more about Hancock Lumber and World of Change, respectively, visit hancocklumber.com and worldofchange.world.