Pepsi donates to PIFD Ladies Auxiliary
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — The Presque Isle Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary can probably hold off on organizing a bake sale for a while thanks to a recent $490 donation from Pepsi Bottling Co. in Presque Isle.
Last January, Pepsi employees started collecting their empty recyclables and would take them to the Washburn Redemption Center. After a year’s worth of collecting the returnables, Pepsi’s action planning team recently donated the money to the Ladies Auxiliary.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
THE LADIES AUXILIARY of the Presque Isle Fire Department recently received a $490 check from Pepsi Bottling Co. in Presque Isle. Last January, Pepsi employees started collecting their empty recyclables and would take them to the Washburn Redemption Center. Pepsi’s action planning team decided to donate the money to the Ladies Auxiliary. Pictured are, from left: Gerald Carney, owner of the Washburn Redemption Center; Amanda Lovley, president of the Ladies Auxiliary; Ashley Estey, vice president; Bob Bishop, territory sales coordinator for Pepsi and chair of the action planning team; and Anthony Collins, field maintenance and action planning team member.
“It means quite a bit to us to be able to make this donation,” said Bob Bishop, territory sales coordinator for Pepsi and chair of the action planning team. “It shows that Pepsi doesn’t only care about soda, but it cares about our hometown people.
“Everything that we do we try to incorporate the towns,” he said. “We’ve worked with Madawaska before, Van Buren, Caribou and Presque Isle. We’ve donated to just about every town with food drives that we’ve done, and we’re getting ready to hold a pet need drive where we’ll ask all of our employees to bring in dog food, cat food, cat litter … whatever they might be able to donate, and we’ll distribute those items to area humane societies.”
The purpose of the action planning team, Bishop said, is to not only to improve the work environment, but to support community organizations, as well.
Amanda Lovley, president of the Presque Isle Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary, said she greatly appreciated the Pepsi workers’ contribution.
“This is wonderful,” she said. “It’s a great help to our organization.
“Typically we raise money through bake sales, yard sales, and we’ve done fundraisers with Big Cheese,” said Lovley, “but because of Pepsi’s donation, I don’t think we’ll have to do those fundraisers this year.”
The Ladies Auxiliary will use the money to help fund two $100 scholarships that are awarded each year to Presque Isle High School seniors.
“Also at Thanksgiving and Christmas we do gift boxes for the needy, as well as presents for needy families,” said Lovley, “so this donation will be a big help and we appreciate Pepsi’s support.”
