Instead of balloons and searchlights, EquipmentShare is making their presence known by giving to the community before they even move in. The construction rental business that will open in Niagara Falls soon, donated 36 new coats and 100 dignity bags to Catholic Charities just before Mother Nature dropped 28 inches of snow, putting Western New York into a State of Emergency on Dec. 11.
“We’re here to be part of the community,” said Bill McDonald, general manager of EquipmentShare. “We’re new to the market. We’re opening up in a month. We’re very involved in the community. One of the programs that we do is Buckets of Joy (where a bucket of donated goods is given to charity). We also do other things throughout the year. Our employees are engaged with paid time off for volunteering. So, we’re very community oriented.”
Roxanne Bryant-Collins, BSW, program manager with Catholic Charities Emergency Financial Assistance Program and Care Coordination Services, accepted the much needed gifts with gratitude.
“We get a lot of walk-ins all throughout the day in our Emergency Financial Assistance Program; people looking for anything from how do I sign up for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) to I need a coat. A couple hours after I got a phone call about the coat donation, I received a phone call from some case managers looking for coats for their clients. They have a whole building full of people who need coats and hats to be able to get out, get to their appointments, go to the Department of Financial Services to make sure their SNAP isn’t going to get cut off. They have to get out into the community to make sure their services are connected. This is going to help them be able to get out and do that.”
Bryant-Collins expected to hand out a third of the coats collected that afternoon in anticipation of a 4 o’clock snow storm. She already had a waiting list of people in need.
“I’m going to load up my car and make some deliveries today,” she said. “I get to play Santa.”
The need for basic items such as coats, socks, soap and razors is pretty big, and it’s increasing daily. Catholic Charities sees a growing number of people that have never had to ask for anything before in need of help.
“I feel there is a new population of people who are struggling,” said Bryant-Collins.
Catholic Charities serves more than 147,000 individuals annually with everything from emergency financial assistance to in school counseling to mental health to workforce development in all eight counties of Western New York.
As the most comprehensive human services provider in Western New York, Catholic Charities receives gifts and donations and contributions from all over the area to meet the needs of people of all faiths, race, backgrounds and circumstances.
“It really takes all of us together as a community to come together and uplift those who are the most in need,” said Chuck Hayes, chief development and communication officer for Catholic Charities. “We’re deeply grateful for business partners like EquipmentShare, especially someone so new to the market, who’s coming in and recognizing there is a need and wants to be a good corporate citizen and to partner with us. The corporate community in Western New York has historically been very generous, very giving, and they are becoming a much more important part of our ability to bring hope to those most in need.”
For basic needs assistance, call 716-856-4494 or visit 525 Washington St., in downtown Buffalo.