In recent years Dairyland has cultivated an important relationship with the Stoughton Area Senior Center (SASC). The SASC—located just a few miles down the road from Dairyland’s headquarters—provides a variety of programs, services, and opportunities for community members over 55 years of age. Like many other service organizations, the SASC relies on volunteers to meet the needs of the community they serve, and offer a variety of volunteer opportunities for both individuals and groups. Dairyland employees have participated in two of these opportunities: weekly meal delivery and seasonal yard maintenance. 

As part of Dairyland’s Live Engaged initiative, employees are encouraged—and paid—to participate in volunteer opportunities during work hours. Employees are given up to two hours per month to use when their schedules allow it.

For the past two years, Ken Schuh, Dairyland’s Operations Manager, has used his volunteer time to pull together a team each spring and fall to perform yard maintenance and clean up for senior citizens and people with disabilities in the Stoughton area.

“Our partnership with the Stoughton Area Senior Center provides a safe, simple and tangible way for employees to meet the needs of others, expecting nothing in return,” said Ken. “It’s introducing employees to an opportunity for Living Engaged right now and may grease the skids for doing so in different and fresh ways in the future.”

Another member of Dairyland’s team, Sandy Paton, has been volunteering with her father through the SASC for the last three years, providing Meals on Wheels deliveries.

“We are delivering healthy meals to senior citizens who are unable to leave their homes due to illness or who don’t have other resources for purchasing food,” Sandy noted. “I’ve heard from the coordinator at the Senior Center that for some people, this is their only meal of the day.” 

Both services are vital to individuals in the area who are lacking resources that many take for granted.

“It’s local, simple, and practical. If not me, who? I have awareness and the ability to do this work, where others may not. I’m simply being a good steward of what I’ve been given,” said Ken on his involvement with the SASC and inclusion of other Dairyland employees. 

It’s very important to me to give back to Stoughton. Without volunteers, many services that members of the community depend on wouldn’t be so readily available.
— Sandy Paton, Dairyland Executive Assistant

Strengthen your community is one of the four pillars of Dairyland’s Live Engaged initiative, and both Ken and Sandy are exemplars of this principle. 

Live Engaged consistently reminds us how important and impactful it is to give our time, talents, and resources to local organizations who, in turn, change the lives of others in the community. Camp Daniel is one example of a non-profit organization making a positive impact in their community. Located near our manufacturing facility in northern Wisconsin, Camp Daniel provides a safe summer camp experience for people with disabilities, adapting to meet each of their individual needs. Through their summer camping program and activities, they offer each camper a safe and fun camping experience, while also meeting the unique physical, social, and emotional needs of each individual.

The Camp Daniel grounds were purchased in 1996 on Little Newton Lake in Athelstane, Wisconsin. Since then, the campus has been constructed largely through volunteer time and labor. This allows Camp Daniel to stretch their monetary donations as far as possible and still complete projects at a steady pace. 

While looking for volunteer opportunities for the manufacturing team, Dairyland became aware of Camp Daniel’s need for hard working volunteers. Joe Mutchler, Dairyland’s Manufacturing Floor Lead and engagement coordinator, arranged for several volunteer opportunities, allowing the production and supply chain teams to take turns contributing without disrupting production.

Dairyland volunteer teams have been trusted to use their experience and expertise to contribute to various large scale construction projects in an initiative to complete the Camp Daniel campus for the safest and most accessible camp experience. The partnership has been something our team has enjoyed, and they’ve even started to look for additional ways to support Camp Daniel – including donating earnings from the sale of copper scraps they had been collecting for more than three years.

Not only were needs met and progress made, but we gained insight into an organization within the local community that in turn serves another part of the community – people with disabilities. And so it goes, helping people that are themselves engaged in helping others.
– Jeff Hucek, Dairyland Production Specialist

Full-time Camp Daniel staff members, Evan and Anissa Hartwig, commented, “Camp Daniel is so thankful for the individuals at Dairyland Electrical for taking the time to volunteer with our small non-profit. Their hard work and good attitudes were recognized and so appreciated. Through your kindness and generosity we can change the lives of people with disabilities.”

As our partnership extends into the future, the work being done at Camp Daniel will continue to meet a valuable need. Through each interaction with campers, staff at Camp Daniel will continue to deliver a valuable message: that each camper has inherent value.

Our Dairyland team started Live Engaged Volunteer Day with the goal of cultivating a network of people, striving to make a difference in their communities. We know that we are stronger when we work together, and collectively we can make the world a better place.

We also know the following to be true:

• Needs exist in every one of our communities
• We all want to have an impact and be part of something larger than ourselves
• Sometimes we just need a push to get started

We began to wonder what could be possible if an entire industry (and beyond) showed up for their communities. This fall provided a strong glimpse of exactly that.

The Week in Review

During the week of October 4-9, an army of volunteers showed up across North America to use their time and abilities for good. On Monday, a group prepared pallets of fresh food that would subsequently serve 600 families in the coming days. On Tuesday, a team of 19 individuals cleaned up trash along Lake Superior. Wednesday saw heaping tubs of non-perishable and monetary donations for the homeless given by exhibitors and attendees of the AMPP Eastern Area Conference. Thursday brought folks together to pound nails and build homes, and on Friday friends pitched in to equip a nonprofit camp for people with disabilities. These are only a few of the examples flowing in from the week of generosity.

 

 

“I loved going through this week knowing there were people all over who were showing up to volunteer – and how many more would benefit because of it. Seeing the stories and photos flow in filled me with joy and hope. There’s something powerful and almost indescribable that happens when we give ourselves to elevate others – especially knowing we aren’t alone.”

– Kailey

 

 

“I haven’t felt that fulfilled in a very long time and I wish I could spend a portion of every week doing something like this.”

– Logan

“The Habitat build was great. It was fun having a bit larger crew there. We had a perfect weather day and clear progress was seen as we started the day with open pits/basements and left with first floor joists in place. Very fun.”

– Ken

 

To All Who Participated, Thank You!

We appreciate that you took time out of your busy lives to give back to others and strengthen your local community. If you missed Volunteer Day 2021, we hope you will consider joining us next year. But don’t wait. Meeting the needs of our community requires a year-round effort – here are some ideas to get you started.

What if: what you are most passionate about doesn’t just have to stay a hobby but can become part of how you Live Engaged? In this article we look at how Mike Tachick, Dairyland’s President, uses his enthusiasm for flying to impact the world around him.  

Mike’s love for aviation began when he was just eleven years old. Tagging along to flight lessons with his father Henry provided an opportunity to watch, learn, and read until he was old enough to take lessons of his own. Over the years, Mike worked hard to save money by doing farm work in his northern Wisconsin community. When he was 16, he paid $20 for an introductory flight lesson with an ex-military instructor, who gave him hands-on experience right away. By age 17, Mike was hooked. He went on to earn his own pilot’s license, fully launching his passion for flying.For Mike, flying began as an exciting, challenging, and energizing hobby. With time, he was able to use aviation to benefit Dairyland and enable more connection with industry customers and friends. He spent hours in the air traveling to conferences, speaking engagements, and meetings. “I’ve always enjoyed travelling and building relationships with the folks in our industry and it was a blessing to be able to make those trips as a pilot. Seeing the landscape of our country change from farmlands to desert to mountains from the air is really fascinating,” said Mike.

What if My Passion for Flying is a Way to Live Engaged?

As Dairyland’s Live Engaged initiative began to grow, Mike started to ponder ways he could help others through his love of aviation.

A 10 Minute Flight = A Weeklong Hike 

For years, Mike provided financial support to Mission Aviation Fellowship, a nonprofit organization that offers aviation, communications, and learning technology services to humanitarian programs in the Americas, Africa, and countries of the Asia-Pacific region. In many of these remote areas, the geography—be it mountains, desert or otherwise—limits people from traveling long distances to receive medical care. This is where MAF volunteers step in to deliver life-saving equipment or medical supplies, or to transport patients to medical facilities. As an avid pilot and experienced business owner, Mike recently joined the executive board of MAF, and now provides guidance and encouragement to their team that supports over 1,000 humanitarian nonprofits around the world.

MAF was founded 75 years ago by a group including Betty Greene, who found herself in a similar situation as Mike – searching for ways to use a passion for aviation to impact the world around her.  After the inaugural flight on Feb 23, 1946, MAF flights continued for 75 years impacting the world around them in a significant way. Betty’s story will be highlighted in the upcoming documentary, Ends of the Earth (trailer below).

Flying People in Need 

Mike is also a volunteer pilot with Angel Flight, a nonprofit summarized best by their tagline, “people flying people in need.” Certified pilot volunteers like Mike take people with non-emergency medical treatment needs around or across the country to receive care at no cost to the patient. This could mean helping people with medical conditions who cannot afford to fly, or delivering blood products in emergency situations. Mike added, “I was looking for ways to use my passions to serve others. Angel Flight is a perfect fit to help others and do something I’m excited about.”

 

What are you passionate about? Have you considered how that fascination or hobby might be a way for you to invest in yourself, show up for your circle, strengthen your community, or even engage on a global level? Tell us how you Live Engaged here.  

The day started with the rhythmic beeping of a supply truck slowly backing down the driveway. Soon a crew began unloading large bags of rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables, and tubs of supplies. After the 12 stations were assembled, the noise and activity levels quickly increased as masks, gloves, and hairnets were handed out, and individuals stepped into to their assigned roles. With the strike of a gong (yes, a real one), the Dairyland team and their families got to work assembling meals while lively music and healthy competition filled the space.  

The Dairyland Picnic

Every July the Dairyland team and their families gather for a summer afternoon of food and fun. This year was even more special because we had the opportunity to partner with Rise Against Hunger, volunteering our time to pack meals for others affected by food insecurity. We divided into groups – measuring and combining ingredients into individual meal packets before weighing, sealing, and boxing them for distribution around the world. In just under two hours, 52 people packaged 18,576 meals.  

Rise Against Hunger is an organization that is “growing a global movement to end hunger by empowering communities, nourishing lives and responding to emergencies.” Across the globe there are 821-million people who don’t have enough food to eat (Rise Against Hunger), with 41-million experiencing “life-threatening hunger” (World Food Program). The need for nutrient-dense nourishment is critical. Over the past year, issues like conflict, extreme weather and poverty have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, heightening the need for food and relief. Rise Against Hunger not only provides short-term emergency supplies—like the meals our team packaged—but they also work to empower communities toward sustainable self-sufficiency.  

Volunteering together helped meet a critical need in our world and allowed us to think beyond ourselves, but it was also a great experience for our team to do together – exemplifying what it means to Live Engaged. Everyone—kids, teens, and adults—easily found a role to play, whether ladling ingredients into funnels, labeling individual packages, or restocking heavy bags of supplies. We laughed, bantered, and connected as a team while the music reverberated and a sense of meaningful accomplishment settled around the room. 

 

Logan said of the event: 
“This event was so cool to be a part of! All my coworkers and our families were in the same room working for a pretty inspiring movement. I genuinely felt fulfilled and that I was on a mission as I just hauled bags of rice. I couldn’t help but keep going!” 

 

 

Laurie later commented: 
“What made the experience most meaningful for me was that an engineer and a homemaker could work shoulder-to-shoulder together for two hours and accomplish so much for a common good. When I looked around at the end of the event, I found I had tears in my eyes at the beauty of everyone working together. What I thought was a simple food drive turned into one of the most meaningful things I have done in 2021.” 

 

 

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If you want to respond to global hunger and engage your team, we highly recommend hosting a meal packing party with Rise Against Hunger. This would also make a great group activity for Volunteer Day!  

For years, the Dairyland team has participated in a 6-month wellness challenge spanning May through October. While there is always a physical component to the challenge, we have increasingly tried to look for more holistic ways to be healthy people. This year, we designed a challenge that addresses all 4 areas of Live Engaged to impact yourself, your circle, your community, and maybe even the world. We hope you will maximize that impact and join us!

Have you ever taken a close look at NFL players’ shoes? If so, you may be familiar with the “My Cause, My Cleats” campaign in which players feature a nonprofit they are passionate about (including some of our partner organizations like International Justice Mission) on their cleats, using the opportunity to raise awareness and money while further motivating their athletic performance. We are doing something similar this year, but don’t worry, you won’t have to decorate your shoes.

Here’s how it goes:

1.Pick an organization

Choose an organization to exercise for throughout the challenge. Is there a cause or charity you are particularly passionate about? Why?

2. Log your miles

Walk or run 7,000 steps each day from May – October. That’s 3.5 miles per day, 24.5 miles per week, and 637 miles total to successfully complete the challenge.

3. Choose your support

Pick 2 ways you want to support, celebrate, or bring awareness to this organization or the people it serves. You could walk a benefit 5K, give a check or material donation, raise awareness, write a letter to encourage their team, or volunteer your time.

Ready to join us? Let us know you’re tracking along here and we’ll send you a gift for successfully completing the challenge with us!

 

Spotlight: Sandy Paton

My organization: I’m choosing Agrace because they were wonderful while my mom was receiving in-home hospice care. The nurses were angels on earth!

How I’ll support them: By participating in the 3K Agrace Run and donating clothes/household items to the Agrace Thrift Store.