In April, Southwire announced an expansion of its Giving Back efforts in response to COVID-19. As 2020 comes to a close, the company has now donated more than $1 million in three phases - Hunger, Education and Hope for the Holidays. 

In May, Southwire committed a $500,000 donation to Feeding America®, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, and other similar international organizations across its communities. In July, the company held a virtual Back to School event in celebration of its $250,000 donation given through more than 35,000 bags of free school supplies that were shipped across the country to local children who needed them most. 

To close out this commitment, Southwire focused on providing Hope for the Holidays during the months of November and December with a total contribution of $275,000 donated to organizations like Toys for Tots, Salvation Army Angel Tree, Feed My Starving Children and more. 

Additionally, in honor of Southwire’s 70th anniversary, the company hosted a virtual Hope for the Holidays fundraiser on Dec. 3, from 6-9 p.m. (EST) with a goal to raise additional funds toward these causes by partnering with its Giving Back communities. The three-hour live event, hosted by Southwire’s corporate communication employees Kristian Whittington and Blair Watkins, featured a wide variety of musical performances, inspirational messages from special guests and sponsors and much more. 

“In a year of quarantine, social distancing and virtual gatherings, Southwire came together to continue making a difference,” said Fernando Esquivel, Southwire’s EVP of Human Resources. “The purpose of the Hope for the Holidays event was to add hope, give back and celebrate with our communities, in a safe way, this holiday season. As the newest member of the executive team here at Southwire, I was blown away by the community support that we received from this event, and I look forward to being able to participate in more events like this in the future. Thank you to everyone that partnered with us and worked to make this event such a success.”

As a result of the event, thanks to the generosity of Southwire’s communities and employees, the company was able to raise more than $25,000 in additional funds for the multiple non-profit organizations. The virtual fundraiser was a large success, and, during the live event, it reached an audience of more than 20,000 people on social media.

This event would not have been possible without its generous sponsors, talented musicians and guest speakers, including:

• Sponsors: West Georgia Technical College, SERVPRO, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Premise Health, Associated Credit Union, Gradick Communication, New Leaf Marketing, Calgary Metal Recycling Inc., Times-Georgian, Willis Towers Watson, Dixie Converting Corporation, Spin Marketing, CA and G&W Equipment, Inc.
• Musicians: Kevin Ross, Josh Gracin, AJ Ghent, The Edge Effect, Eva Rose & The Bottom Line, Macain Carlile, Cindy Walker, David Pippin, KC & Unity, Kristian & Matt Whittington, The Cheese Weasels, Carbon Copy, Homegrown, Lefty Williams and Gabrielle Fuqua. 
• Guest Speakers: Rich Stinson, Amanda Berry, Wendy McGee, Diana Colley, Dr. Rile, Robi Mogley, Burt Fealing, Kim Jones, Erica Aldama, Fernando Esquivel, Laura Richards, Meghan Nicholls, Doug Graham and Nadia Rios.

“We had such a great time finding a virtual way to connect with and support our communities this holiday season and I am so grateful for everyone who supported the Hope for the Holidays event and made it such a success,” said Whittington. “I also want to give a special thank you to Illuminated Productions, a Carrollton-based visual production company, who really helped us bring our ideas to life in a safe, fun way! Because of the efforts of so many, we will be able to make an even bigger impact in all of our giving back communities and take care of the places we call home.”

To find out more about Southwire’s commitment to giving back, click here.