$100,000 Awarded to Pella Corporation Hope At Work Participating Organizations

Pella Corporation, a leading window and door designer and manufacturer, announced today that Heaven Can Wait Animal Shelter and Kids’ Food Basket are the recipients of $100,000 through Pella’s Hope At Work promotion. With more than 45,000 votes between them, the two organizations activated their passionate communities, calling on them to cast their vote daily, earning more votes than any of the other Hope At Work nominees.

The promotion recognized organizations that have gone above and beyond to care for their local communities. Organizations were nominated by Pella branches across the United States and Canada. The promotion is part of Pella’s #BuildingHope campaign which highlights the various ways people are connecting with each other and giving back to their communities while physical connection remains a challenge.

Heaven Can Wait was nominated by Pella Windows and Doors of Western Canada, whose owner, John Wienand, has supported the non-profit organization through donating and installing windows and doors, expanding the existing facility and adding new recreational pet structures.

During the COVID-19 pandemic Heaven Can Wait saw a significant decline in their main source of revenue, which is kenneling for traveling pet owners. Founder Kim Hessel was concerned about what the future was going to look like for the rural animal rescue organization.

“We are so grateful for the community support,” said Hessel. “This is life changing for our organization and more importantly, for the animals we care for. We plan to make building renovations, improve our heating and invest in a new water tank – all to make the environment better and safer for our animals.”

Kids’ Food Basket was founded to ensure access to healthy and nutritious meals to the 1 in 5 children who were underserved and impacted by poverty and food insecurity in West Michigan. Pre-COVID-19, they nourished over 8,800 students a weekday in 52 schools across four counties. However, the global pandemic ushered in new problems and novel complexities. Since March, Kids’ Food Basket has been on the frontlines and has pivoted to serve over 415,000 emergency meals to over 70 distribution sites in the four counties they serve for children and families in need. The pandemic has caused food costs to rise. President and Founding CEO Bridget Clark Whitney said they are experiencing a 66 percent increase in meal costs.

“We are so grateful to Pella Corporation and our generous community for all of their support. This money will greatly increase our purchasing power and allow us to continue feeding children and families in our community,” said Clark Whitney. “With our children’s school and life experiences being so significantly disrupted it’s critical that Kids’ Food Basket provide consistent access to good, healthy, nourishing food – especially at a time when strong immune systems are more important than ever.”

Kids’ Food Basket was nominated by Pella Windows and Doors of Grand Rapids. The branch Owner and President John Estabrook and team have a long-standing relationship with Kids’ Food Basket. Team members are often at Kids’ Food Basket, packing and distributing healthy and nutritious meals to distribution sites in Kent, Ottawa, Allegan and Muskegon counties.