Toledo, Ohio-based metal brokers and recyclers Kripke Enterprises Inc. (KEI) ended Hunger Action Month—September—strongly, by partnering with Connecting Kids to Meals (CKTM) of Toledo to help children experiencing food insecurity. Kripke’s goal was $10,000 but, through the generosity of its supporters, the company raised $14,000.
KEI’s Metal for Meals donations program will provide 28,000 healthy meals to kids in need through CKTM. “On behalf of Kripke Enterprises, thank you to everyone involved in exceeding our goal,” says Eric Arnold, a trader in training who oversees the project at KEI. “We are thrilled to help this amazing organization!”
This was KEI’s first involvement with CKTM. “We went and saw their state-of-the-art kitchen and facilities,” Arnold explains. “Food insecurity is such a basic thing, and we wanted to do our part in addressing that need in our community.” The Metal for Meals program gave KEI customers a chance to donate their metal or any portion of their transactions to CKTM, and KEI used social media and radio to spread the word.
“It takes a village to fight childhood hunger,” states Wendi Huntley, CKTM president. “The core issue is that people don’t know there is a childhood hunger problem in our community.” Since 2002, CKTM has brought healthy meals to at-risk children at no cost. The nonprofit is the largest provider of kids’ meals during out-of-school time in Northwest Ohio, providing nearly 1 million meals this year.
Family-owned KEI was founded in 1993 and serves Northwest Ohio through recycling, philanthropy, and community service. This includes a first-time homebuyer program that assists its employees. KEI will match a participant’s down payment up to $2,500. In addition, KEI will directly pay $100 per month toward the mortgage for three years.
KEI has a charitable fund that donates $50 to a charity of an employee’s choice on his or her birthday. This past summer, KEI sponsored recyclable aluminum cups at Centennial Terrace, an outdoor stage and entertainment center in Sylvania, Ohio, making it the first public venue in the greater Toledo area to substitute aluminum for plastic drinkware during the summer season.
Featured image courtesy of Kripke Enterprises Inc. Caption: KEI’s Evan Troupe and Eric Arnold present a check to President Wendi Huntley of Connecting Kids to Meals. Body image courtesy of ISRI. Caption: Those who donated $10 of their recyclable metal at KEI in September could take home a 10-pack of 20 oz. Ball Aluminum Cups™.
