December 21, 2022
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Knapheide employees continued the tradition this year of spreading holiday cheer at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy, Ill. on December 20, 2022.
Employees from Knapheide donated presents for 140 Vets Home residents, enough to fill two Knapheide KUV bodies. The tradition of giving back to the community through the Knapheide Veterans Tree started six years ago.
“The community sees how important it is to support us and our residents,” Sara Colgrove, Vets Home Director of Volunteer Services & Activities, said. “Long-term care can get you stuck in the same daily routine. Providing something like this makes for a special day.”
Residents were not only surprised with gifts, but also cards made by Baldwin Elementary students and a visit from several Knapheide employees, including Mike Dailing, Knapheide Corporate Safety Manager, who dressed up as Santa.
“We did not originally plan to take Santa, since COVID-19 has prevented us from meeting with veterans the past few years,” Ashli Hoover, Knapheide Fleet Solutions Analyst and Knapheide Veterans Tree co-organizer, said. “We found out last minute that we would be able to meet with the residents, and luckily we had Mike and a Santa suit!”
While not all of the gifts were necessities, many of the requested items were for staples like snacks and clothing items.
“Many of the residents we adopt have no family,” Hoover said. “Seeing their excitement over items that seem so small was a great way to wrap up this year’s campaign. It was a unique opportunity for us to say thank you to a special group of people, and I hope that our gifts remind them that they are not forgotten or taken for granted.”
