Small plant makes big impact

ITW Filter Products in Mazon may be a small plant but they are a big supporters of the United Way of Grundy County.

Sharon Bermeo, human resources assistant at ITW said Friday the employees and company raised $47,971.60 for the United Way during the recent drive.

“This is $15,000 more than last year with fewer employees,” she said. “We had 93 percent of our employees sign up for payroll deductions.”

“This is breathtaking,” Kelli Walker, executive director of the United Way said. “I use ITW as a corporate model.”

Walker said 26,400 Grundy County residents have used the services of an agency supported by the United Way, which is about 60 percent of the county’s population.

Bermeo reported ITW employees, through payroll deducations, contributed $14,828 to the United Way while retirees donated $5,600. Another $1,200 was raised by employees through raffles, for a total of $21,678.

When combined with the ITW corporate match, this brought the total for the United Way to just under $48,000.

For the fiscal year which started Oct. 1, United Way of Grundy County has set a goal of raising $415,000, the highest goal in the 64-year history of the organization.