World Vision and Essendant

DEERFIELD, IL — Product donations are one of the most effective ways for American companies to provide relief to struggling communities. They’re also a powerful philanthropic choice that the Essendant Charitable Foundation swears by.

Ten years ago, Essendant’s janitorial and sanitation unit found itself with $15 million in discontinued inventory—a situation that opened the door for World Vision to collect goods from 25 distribution centers across the U.S. and put them to good use responding to disasters and serving communities in need.

World Vision later shared with foundation staff how impactful the gifts had been, and that led to a strong working relationship that continues to this day.

“In our experience, the partnership knows no bounds,” says Tracey Horwich, the executive director of the foundation. “We have found such amazing ways to fulfill both the needs of World Vision and the needs of Essendant, its foundation, and its associates.”

“We have found such amazing ways to fulfill both the needs of World Vision and the needs of Essendant, its foundation, and its associates.”

In addition to supporting World Vision’s Gift-in-Kind program, more than 80 members of the Essendant team have participated in Vision trips to Nicaragua, Rwanda, Zambia, and other countries to see how their gifts are helping children and families.

What inspires them most is World Vision’s commitment to sustainability.

In fact, on a trip to Armenia, Horwich met community leaders who had once been sponsored children and who were now empowered to create lasting change.

“Each year our team comes back convinced they saw the absolute best of what each country has to offer,” Horwich says. “We can say for certain that the donations are being used in the most effective ways to build communities up for the long term.

“By providing the training and tools to develop leaders, businesses, and institutions, World Vision is preparing people to serve their communities independently. It’s a powerful vision and it demonstrates a belief in the people they serve. Because there is so much need in our world, it is reassuring to see that once a community is thriving, attention and funding can move on to new communities.”