Carhartt donates clothing; associates, administrative office staff hold ‘Dollar Drive’ for storm victims
Carhartt has long been known as a company that cares for its employees. It also extends a helping hand into communities when they are in need.
The recent devastation left by the tornadoes that ripped through parts of Kentucky, including Estill County’s neighbors to the east, Morgan and Magoffin counties, had Carhartt associates asking “what can we do to help?”
William Hardy, vice president of business planning, said that the company donated 13,000 items of men, women’s and children’s clothing as well as boots.
“Employees processed the orders and loaded the Shepherd Truck Line trucks. It took us 48 hours to be ready to take three truckloads, a total of $250,000 worth of items to Salyersville and West Liberty,” Hardy explained.
The company used one of their Salyersville accounts, “Bailey’s Carpet, Hardware and Carhartt” to deliver the apparel.
“Eight of us took the trucks and as we drove into Salyersville, the first thing I noticed was that trees had been uprooted and just sat down on the side of the highway and I knew I didn’t want to see anymore,” he said. “We see the pictures on television, but we just can’t imagine what it is really like until you see it in person.”
Mayors from the two towns along with county judges and other officials gathered at the store to accept the donations.
“There wasn’t a dry eye in the place. We were overcome with the destruction and they were overcome because of our help,” Hardy said. On a smaller scale but with just as much compassion, the local sewing factory and administrative offices held a dollar drive to collect money for the storm victims.
The associates collected $100 and the administration collected $174 which was donated to the American Red Cross. Della Piersall, local Red Cross representative accepted the donations at the sewing factory on Monday.