Leominster AIS team members fight hunger, support community causes
As Reported by the Sentinel & Enterprise
LEOMINSTER — AIS, a leading manufacturer of commercial office furniture, participated in the United Way Combat Hunger initiative in December, with more than 100 AIS team members packing more than 20,000 meals for North Central Massachusetts families in need.
The meal-packing event was held in conjunction with AIS’s annual sales meeting, which brings national sales leaders together at AIS’s headquarters each December. This was the third year that AIS participated in the Combat Hunger event, and the second year AIS devoted a portion of the annual meeting to packing meals for people served by the United Way of North Central Massachusetts.
“As a board member of UWNCM, my eyes are continually opened to how so many community members are struggling to make ends meet. We’re proud to partner with the United Way and support the work they do to help local families in need,” AIS President and CEO Bruce Platzman said.
According to 2019 statistics compiled by the Worcester County Food Bank in Massachusetts, one in 12 people and one in nine children face food insecurity in the region. The USDA’s 2019 Household Food Insecurity Report states that more than 37 million people in the U.S. struggle with hunger and live in poverty.
In addition to being part of the United Way Combat Hunger initiative, AIS supports the UWNCM’s Partnering for Literacy program, with seven AIS employees volunteering in the program.
Partnering for Literacy was established in 2017 with a focus on academic mentoring to support the United Way’s Early Childhood Initiative. School administrators and teachers work hand-in-hand with the academic mentors who are assigned to one or two mentees and then work with these students throughout the year to help improve their reading and socialization skills.
The Leominster Public Schools became the first community partner, and AIS became the first corporate partner. AIS continues to be instrumental in volunteer engagement and program success.
AIS supports a number of other local organizations. This past holiday season, AIS spearheaded a toy donation drive for Team Thiago. Thiago Molinari is a friend of AIS and a leukemia survivor. He and his family organize local charity events and toy drives for children who are battling life-threatening illnesses. The toys were donated to children who are receiving treatment at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.
Some of the other non-profit organizations that AIS supports include Make-A-Wish™ of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the American Red Cross, Catie’s Closet and the Worcester Animal Rescue League.
In 2019, AIS received the Boston Business Journal’s Corporate Citizenship Award for its work in supporting charitable organizations and community causes.
AIS, headquartered in Leominster, is a leading manufacturer of commercial office furniture and boasts one of the most impressive stories of growth and success in the furniture industry. Founded in 1989, the company is known for offering market-relevant, feature-rich product lines that entice designers and support the diverse needs of end-users while offering exceptional value.
AIS has permanent showrooms at its Leominster headquarters and also in Chicago, New York City and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.ais-inc.com.