“We live here, we give here.”
—Serge Szortyka, President, Quaker Maid Meats
How and when did Quaker Maid get involved with Opportunity House?
We’ve been donors since 1995, when your organization was still The Reading Berks Emergency Shelter. We wanted to help a local nonprofit that provided emergency shelter to those in need, especially in the winter months.
Twenty-four years is a long time! Why do you continue to give?
Because our donation helps our neighbors instead of being put in some large national organization’s general fund. We know that our donation stays in the community, and we like that.
What is your philosophy of giving?
We live here, we give here. In other words, we firmly believe in helping local rather than national organizations because then we can see the results of our donations. Giving locally is our way of helping to maintain a sustainable community. We are fortunate that our company has grown to the point where we can pay it back by paying it forward. Not everyone is as fortunate as we have been. If we don’t help those in need, what kind of corporate citizen are we?