March 20, 2015 – Over the past holiday season, Siemens Canada joined forces with The Salvation Army and participated in the annual Hope for Holidays fundraising campaign, with its donation determined, in effect, by the charitable efforts of its employees.

“Giving back to the local community is part of our culture at Siemens Canada. During the holiday season, employees are always very generous and willing to help those in need. As a token of our appreciation for this exceptional commitment, Siemens matched all employee contributions,” explained Robert Hardt, president and CEO, Siemens Canada Ltd.

Several charitable activities were organized by Siemens’ Caring Hands Employee Committee in various locations to support non-profit organizations, ranging from toy and food drives to fundraising raffles and Adopt-a-family programs.

The results: 916 toys, 1430 food items, 1460 hats and mittens, 25 winter clothing items and almost $31,000 were donated by employees. Two Siemens locations stood out in terms of their holiday contributions: Milltronics in Peterborough, Ont., with its $11,000 donation toward The Salvation Army Toy Drive, and Stoney Creek, Ont., with $10,000 raised for two Hamilton-based charities—City Kidz and the Nicolas Morille Fund.

For its part, Siemens Canada matched employee donations by providing $1 for each toy, food or winter clothing item, and for each dollar raised during the campaign. Based on the overall employee contribution, Siemens Canada made a matching donation of almost $36,000 to The Salvation Army.

In addition to the fundraisers, Siemens employees’ children and grandchildren were invited to participate in the Holiday Children’s Craft Contest. The company donated $5 for every one of 370 holiday ornaments submitted for a total of $1850.

PHOTOS (courtesy Siemens)

1. Concord, Ont.: Salvation Army Toy Drive.
2. Moncton, N.B.: Turkey donation for the Sue Stultz Turkey drive.
3. Oakville, Ont.: Presentation of toy donation to the Salvation Army.
4. Peterborough, Ont.: Salvation Army Toy Drive.