The
Globe Manufacturing Company created a $1 million donor-advised
Globe Community Fund at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
to support nonprofits and community efforts in Pittsfield and
surrounding towns. Pictured here, from left to right, Globe
Manufacturing Co-owners Don Welch, Gef Freese and Rob Freese on
the factory floor. Photo by Cheryl Senter, courtesy of the
NH Charitable Foundation.
The
Pittsfield-based Globe Manufacturing Company created a $1
million donor-advised fund at the New Hampshire Charitable
Foundation to support nonprofits and community efforts in
Pittsfield and surrounding towns. Pictured here, 29-year Globe
employee Theresa Perkins working on the factory floor. Photo by
Cheryl Senter, courtesy of the NH Charitable Foundation.
Globe Manufacturing Establishes $1 Million Fund To
Support Efforts In Local Communities
The
Globe Manufacturing Company has created the $1 million
donor-advised Globe Community Fund at the New Hampshire
Charitable Foundation to support nonprofits and community
efforts in Pittsfield and surrounding towns.
“We’ve been in Pittsfield for 116 years, and this is a way to
say ‘thank you,’” said Globe CEO and co-owner Don Welch.
The
company started the fund with $1 million. About $40,000 will be
granted from the fund each year, and the fund is set up to serve
the region in perpetuity. Globe has a tradition and history of
generosity in the region – from helping local fire departments
and day care centers to the Red Cross, 4-H, scouting programs
and youth sports. Globe also established a fund at the
Foundation in 2008 to support music and the arts in Pittsfield
schools.
“We’re grateful to be in a position to help improve
the quality of life for folks in Pittsfield and neighboring
communities,” said Gef Freese, co-owner and senior vice
president for manufacturing of Globe Manufacturing.
Globe,
which makes clothing and boots for firefighters, has been run by
four generations of the Freese family in Pittsfield since 1901.
The company employs 425 people in three locations, including 320
at its Pittsfield headquarters. It supplies fire departments
from Pittsfield to Anchorage, Alaska and in 82 countries, and
manufactures all of its products in the U.S.
“Globe and the
Freese family are so committed to their community, and it’s an
honor to work with them on their philanthropy,” said Laura
Rauscher, director of philanthropy at the New Hampshire
Charitable Foundation. “Their generosity is an inspiration, and
this fund will help people for generations to come.”
The
Globe Community Fund is one more expression of the culture of a
family business where community matters.
Theresa Perkins is a
stitcher who has worked at Globe for 29 years. “It is a good
place to work and they care about their people, and they show
the people that they do care,” she said. The new fund “means a
lot to many people,” she said. “They do so much for the
community.”
A team of Globe employees will review requests
for the new donor-advised fund and recommend grants on a rolling
basis. The Foundation will work with the team, providing
expertise about the nonprofit sector in New Hampshire and best
practices for reviewing proposals.
Requests will go directly
to the company.
“There’s a lot of good folks and a lot of
good things happening in our community,” said company co-owner
Rob Freese. “This is our part to spur that along. If the
community is healthy, we’re healthy.”
Inquiries about funding
through the Globe Community Fund may be made to:
[email protected].
About the New
Hampshire Charitable Foundation
The New Hampshire Charitable
Foundation is New Hampshire’s statewide community foundation,
founded in 1962 by and for the people of New Hampshire. The
Foundation manages a growing collection of more than 1,800 funds
created by generous individuals, families and businesses, and
awards nearly $40 million in grants and scholarships every year.
The Foundation works with generous and visionary citizens to
maximize the power of their giving, supports great work
happening in our communities and leads and collaborates on
high-impact initiatives. For more information, please visit
www.nhcf.org or call
603-225-6641.