PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- Irving Oil's Warm Mittens Wishes program for 2006 brought in more than 300 gifts to benefit Rockingham Community Action (RCA) and the children in four of its Head Start programs in the Portsmouth, N.H., area.
RCA is dedicated to helping people overcome financial hardships and achieve self-reliance. The Head Start programs participating in the Warm Mitten Wishes program this year are in Raymond, Epping, Portsmouth and Hampton.
This campaign is more successful each year, said Diane Donahue, [image-nocss] Social Services/Parent Involvement Coordinator for Rockingham Community Action Head Start. Irving employees' generosity is overwhelming and once again the gifts are piled high and will make a great difference for many families in and around the Seacoast area.
Students traced and cut out mittens covered in festive drawings and glitter. Each mitten, containing a child's name, age, and their holiday gift wish, was hung on a Christmas tree in Irving Oil's office. Employees signed out and adopted one or more mittens and purchased the gifts listed on the back.
All of the mittens were adopted and every child received their holiday wish. Irving employees also brought in extra gifts such as fleece blankets, hats and stuffed animals, as well as extra mittens.
These will go to the families as extra goodies, said Donahue.
Also, Irving Oil and its employees donated more than $7,500, which will go to the United Way of the Greater Seacoast, and then be distributed to RCA and other local nonprofit agencies.
Our team members really enjoy adding their purchases to the increasing pile of gifts for local children, said Susan Peace, Irving's senior marketing manager for home heat in New England. This year, one of our employees put together a small fundraiser within the office to raise money to purchase new educational toys for each of the six Head Start classrooms. We are very proud to be able to help make Christmas a little brighter for local families.
She added, Most employees adopted more than one mitten and one employee adopted as many as 20 mittens! People here just love this program.
For two weeks, Irving employees brought in hundreds of gifts that filled the kitchen area where the tree was set up. RCA picked up the gifts on December 19.
The mission of Rockingham Community Action, a private, nonprofit organization, is to prevent, reduce, and work towards the elimination of poverty. RCA does this by offering a variety of services to meet people's immediate needs; providing them with the resources to help them achieve self-reliance; and working in partnership with them to address the root causes of poverty.
Irving Oil, Portsmouth, is the regional refining and marketing company serving customers in Eastern Canada, Quebec and New England with a range of finished energy products, including gasoline, diesel, home heating fuel, jet fuel and complementary products and services. The company's network of Bluecanoe and Mainway convenience stores throughout Eastern Canada and New England offers customers a variety of products and services, including grocery and snack items, bakeries and convenience items, in addition to fuel.
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