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Office Furniture Partnership Sends Hugs Overseas
Thousands of U.S. soldiers serving overseas received Valentine’s treats thanks to Office Furniture Partnership (OFP), a large office furniture dealership in Morristown, New Jersey with locations in NYC and Philadelphia.
For the second straight year, OFP employees spearheaded a “Hugs from Home” campaign to show appreciation to U.S. servicemen and women serving overseas. A “hug from home’ is a gift tube filled to the brim with friendly notes and useful items. The idea for the compact care packages came from OFP partner Bob Rigby.
“You read the paper and see the tough things our troops are going through everyday in Iraq and other places, and you wonder what can we do to let our military know they are loved and supported during their deployment,” explains Mr. Rigby.
Throughout the first half of February, OFP employees distributed clear plastic tubes and asked their customers and business partners to join them in sending “a hug.” The result was an outpouring of support. “Last year we sent out nearly 1,000 tubes. This time around, we have tripled that number,” says Mr. Rigby.
Aon Risk Services, which lost many employees in the 9/11 attacks, provided items for 100 tubes, as did Kimball International (OFP’s main brand). Jackson Hewitt, the tax preparers, contributed 1,500 phone cards. JRs Cigars provided hundreds of cigars and tee shirts which were well received. Students from local elementary schools also participated. Donated items included the basic necessities of toothbrushes, foot powder, deodorant, and bug spray to fun stuff like sports magazines, cigars, puzzles, games, and chewing gum, and most important, handmade cards.
For OFP and Kimball Office employees, the hand written cards and Valentine’s expressed the spirit of the program perfectly. “You reach out to people you don’t know and may never meet,” says Mr. Rigby, “and you make sure that they aren’t skipped at mail call. You make sure they know that someone cares about them and what they are doing is appreciated. For as long as there’s a war, we’ll be sending ‘hugs.’”
For the second straight year, OFP employees spearheaded a “Hugs from Home” campaign to show appreciation to U.S. servicemen and women serving overseas. A “hug from home’ is a gift tube filled to the brim with friendly notes and useful items. The idea for the compact care packages came from OFP partner Bob Rigby.
“You read the paper and see the tough things our troops are going through everyday in Iraq and other places, and you wonder what can we do to let our military know they are loved and supported during their deployment,” explains Mr. Rigby.
Throughout the first half of February, OFP employees distributed clear plastic tubes and asked their customers and business partners to join them in sending “a hug.” The result was an outpouring of support. “Last year we sent out nearly 1,000 tubes. This time around, we have tripled that number,” says Mr. Rigby.
Aon Risk Services, which lost many employees in the 9/11 attacks, provided items for 100 tubes, as did Kimball International (OFP’s main brand). Jackson Hewitt, the tax preparers, contributed 1,500 phone cards. JRs Cigars provided hundreds of cigars and tee shirts which were well received. Students from local elementary schools also participated. Donated items included the basic necessities of toothbrushes, foot powder, deodorant, and bug spray to fun stuff like sports magazines, cigars, puzzles, games, and chewing gum, and most important, handmade cards.
For OFP and Kimball Office employees, the hand written cards and Valentine’s expressed the spirit of the program perfectly. “You reach out to people you don’t know and may never meet,” says Mr. Rigby, “and you make sure that they aren’t skipped at mail call. You make sure they know that someone cares about them and what they are doing is appreciated. For as long as there’s a war, we’ll be sending ‘hugs.’”
