Ferrara Candy Company Helps Make Back-to-School Sweet for Bellwood Students

It’s back-to-school time (sorry, kids) and going to class with a new backpack full of supplies lays a foundation for a year of educational successes. Pencils, paper, notebooks, glue sticks and more are what employees of Ferrara Candy’s Forest Park plant placed into backpacks meant for children in need attending kindergarten and elementary schools in the Bellwood School District. Amy Ciaglo (left) from Ferrara’s Labeling Compliance Department and Melissa Tate (right) from the company’s Supplier Quality Department, put a backpack to the test as supplies are placed in it. The company purchased 50 backpacks and $5,000 worth of necessary school supplies to fill them to ensure children have the tools they need for a successful beginning to the school year. Backpacks are being delivered by employees this week to six schools where school personnel will distribute them. This back-to-school backpack initiative is part of the efforts of Ferrara Candy’s Employee Engagement Council, supporting local initiatives and creating volunteer opportunities for its employees at its five Chicagoland locations—Forest Park, Oak Brook/Oakbrook Terrace, Bellwood, Bolingbrook and Maywood. Through the council, employees become actively engaged in community organizations and initiatives focused on kids and their families with an emphasis on: investing in education, providing jobs and training, minimizing our impact on the environment, fighting hunger and commemorating and celebrating holidays.