In the Spirit of Giving

At MKSD, we believe in giving back to our community, especially in times of need.  Each of our employees was provided the opportunity to donate $100 to a charity of their choice.  2020 has been a difficult year for many families, businesses, and organizations – we are thankful to be able to provide support to some of our favorite organizations and hope to inspire others to do the same!

Susan – Give a Plant to a Senior               https://www.steelcityplantco.com

“This year has been so devastating to those living in senior care facilities. Because of the pandemic, so many seniors are at risk and will have to spend the holidays away from their loved ones. I hope this donation will brighten their spirits a little and let them know that their community is thinking of them. This $100 will donate 20 poinsettias to seniors at Moravian Village in Bethlehem. It may not make up for the hugs they are missing, but hopefully it will bring a little bit of Christmas cheer.”

Nick – Lily’s Hope Foundation    http://www.lilyshopefoundation.org/

” I wanted to donate to the Lily’s Hope Foundation again this year, because of their mission statement to support babies, children, and their families with unexpected and urgent needs due to premature birth.  Our twins were born pre-maturely and needed NICU attention.  The attentiveness and care provided by the NICU staff helped our children tremendously during those critical first days of their lives, which led to us being able to take them home shortly afterwards.  Some families are not as lucky and are not prepared for their child’s early arrival.  The Lily’s Hope Foundation supports NICU families by providing them with essential needed items since they have been unable to fully prepare for a premature birth.  These include items that can often be expensive and difficult to find.  Even a small amount of assistance can be an enormous help to a set of new parents, who want nothing more than to care-for, protect, and love the new addition to their lives.”

Jess- March of Dimes     https://www.marchofdimes.org/

“I was blessed to have two healthy pregnancies and babies, but not all are as lucky.  I have known too many families that have had babies either premature or with birth defects and the support the March of Dimes provides to them at birth and throughout the first crucial years is invaluable. “

Ryan – The Sanctuary at Haafsville          https://www.thesanctuarypa.org/                          

“My wife Becky and I have been volunteering regularly in the Mutt Hut at the Sanctuary for 4 years.  We enjoy spending time with the dogs and trying to make their temporary stay as comfortable as possible.  Many of the dogs are owner surrenders, strays, or dogs transported from regions of the country that recently experienced a disaster.  Besides volunteering, we also have fostered many dogs over the years.  We currently have a Chihuahua named Tripp staying with us.  Through solely on volunteer efforts, The Sanctuary of Haafsville has saved more than 9,000 dogs and cats over its 10 years of existence. “

Codi – Aurthur’s Acres Animal Sanctuary              https://www.arthursacresanimalsanctuary.org/donate

“Being a vegetarian for several years, I’ve become a huge animal advocate and I consistently follow the stories of several sanctuaries throughout the country.  Arthur’s Acres is one of my favorites to follow, and the hard work that they do day in and day out for the animals is outstanding.”

Megan – Habitat for Humanity Lehigh Valley      https://habitatlv.org/habitat-home

“Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley aids in combatting the affordable housing crisis by providing safe, decent, and affordable housing for families in our community.  I have been involved with Habitat as an AmeriCorps, employee, volunteer, and committee member for over 10 years and have experienced first-hand the impact this organization has on communities, families and volunteers – it is nothing short of awe-inspiring.”

Scott – Keystone Warriors           https://keystonewarriors.org/

” Keystone Warriors’ mission is to HONOR, EMPOWER, AID, and ASSIST our post-9/11 wounded warriors. Approximately, 85% of funds donated are used to ease the burden on our heroes, many of whom are men and women recovering physically, mentally, or emotionally, as they transition back into civilian life through hard work, dedication, and commitment.  By raising public awareness through sponsored events, and by seeking the public’s support for programs and services, we can provide emergency financial assistance to veterans, such as utilities, rent, transportation, medical, and other expenses.”

Ali – Nazareth Food Bank             https://www.nazarethareafoodbank.org/

“I am choosing to donate to the Nazareth Food Bank in order to provide meals for the local families that are in need.”

Silvia – American Heart Association          https://www.heart.org/en

“This year, within a few weeks of each other, my dad had heart surgery and my mom a stroke. Thankfully, my parents are healthy and doing well, but I learned that heart disease is the no. 1 killer worldwide. Because of that, this year I’m supporting the American Heart Association.”

Katie – Operation Smile                                https://secure.operationsmile.org/

“My great-aunt was born with cleft palate and it was corrected as a child.  During her career, she actually served as Operation Smile’s Chief Financial Officer!  This organization performs life-saving surgeries to children free-of-charge.”

Andrew – Second Harvest Food Bank     https://shfblv.org/

“An analysis by researchers at Northwestern University, conducted in June, found that food insecurity among families with children nearly tripled in the past 12 months. This donation will help those who struggle just to feed their families.”

Todd – ArtsQuest                            https://www.artsquest.org/ 

“They’re having a really hard time through the pandemic, and the recent surge in cases has made it worse.  I’m looking forward to getting out to visit ArtsQuest’s art and entertainment venues once this mess is over.  I can’t wait to see live music and talk with the Banana Factory’s resident artists face to face!”

Anna –   AWSOM                              https://www.awsomanimals.org/index.php

”AWSOM is animal shelter located in Stroudsburg providing help to homeless and abused animals. This is the shelter we adopted our cat Smokey 5 years ago.”

Jill – LCCC Foundation & Giving         https://www.lccc.edu/foundation-giving/home

“I am board member at LCCC, and this year, I wanted to donate to help support students struggling during this pandemic.”

Chris – Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley  https://shfblv.org/

John – Monroe County Historical Society              http://www.monroehistorical.org/join.html