Banister Pipelines stepped up recently to make a $15,000 to the Salvation Army in Wallaceburg.
Jeff Miller, operations manager for Banister, told the Sydenham Current they are happy to give back.
“We work across Canada and we come into small communities with large work forces,” he said.
“When we came here we were at around 400 employees. When we come into a community, we stay at their hotels, motels and even private residences and so Wallaceburg in particular have kind of opened their arms to us and we have had a great relationship so we would like to give back.”
Banister Pipelines have been working on Union Gas’ $264.5M ‘Panhandle Reinforcement Project.’
“We asked all of our employees to donate and then Banister Pipelines matched that donation,” Miller said.
“We raised just a little over $15,000.”
Miller said they pick a different charity every time they make a donation.
“We looked at the food bank, we like to help as many people as we can,” he said.
“We know this area is a little bit depressed as far as employment and it used to be a pretty thriving community. We understand they have had a lot of hardship because of the factories and manufacturing leaving. So we thought a food bank would be a good place to make our donation this time.”
Miller added: “We are happy to be here and happy to do the donation, that’s for sure.”
Captain Karen Holland of the Salvation Army Chatham-Kent Ministries said the donation will stay in the Wallaceburg community.
“It is awesome,” she said.
“It is going to make a huge difference for us. What is donated in the area of Wallaceburg stays at our Wallaceburg facilities. (It will help the) people throughout the year providing emergency service like for food or clothing or utilities. Whatever the need is that people come to the Salvation Army for.”
Holland said the money they use to do their services with, comes strictly from donations.
“That is how we get all of our funding, is through donations that way,” she said.
“So coming up for Christmas when we do our Christmas kettles, that is our main fundraiser for the whole year. That money gets us through the whole year. So these extra donations that come this way are huge for helping us to do what we do in the community.”
Miller said the company has also made donations to the Chatham-Kent Hospice Foundation and a project at the Tupperville Fire Department.
– Photo credit: Dana Haggith
