SanMar Corporation recently worked with the Why Not You Foundation to donate $126,100 to Friends of the Children. The supplier’s Issaquah, Washington, home office and eight distribution centers held a variety of events to raise money for Friends of the Children, a national organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty.

SanMar joined with Why Not You Foundation because their core values and both organizations are committed to meeting the needs of children in their communities to help them to thrive. Because of these shared beliefs, SanMar and Why Not You Foundation wanted to ensure funds raised supported an organization that had an innovative approach to providing support, skills and mentoring to kids during critical stages of their lives.

Friends of the Children is a national nonprofit working to break the cycle of generational poverty by giving children facing the highest risks with a long-term, salaried, professional mentor, called a Friend, from kindergarten through high school graduation.

“I’ve been fortunate to have great mentors in my life, namely my parents, and I believe that Friends of the Children provides a much-needed resource for many children in our communities,” says Jeremy Lott. “Our SanMar Family Values are a huge part of what we do here and we take great pride in making a difference by giving back to such a worthy organization.”

SanMar employees donated their money and time in a variety of ways, including purchasing tickets for raffle baskets, food and dessert sales, wine tastings, chair massages, product sales and more. The total donation included a generous company match. To learn more about both the Why Not You Foundation and Friends of the Children, please visit https://whynotyoufdn.org/ and https://friendsofthechildren.org/.