For a big corporation, writing a check is probably the simplest way to give back to the community. But when giving is really important to that organization, they will strive for a more personal approach. That’s exactly what happened for Nucor Steel, through their Hertford County Community Outreach team. At Quill, we are so proud to have been their chosen vendor for this effort.
Who is Nucor Steel Hertford County Community Outreach?
This group was formed in 2022 to expand Nucor’s outreach efforts. Prior to the group’s formation, all donation requests and community outreach efforts for the Hertford County division of Nucor Steel were filtered through just one point person. By pulling together a full team, they were able to lighten the load while expanding what was possible.
The first year the team was formed, they sent a check to a foundation to be used for education supplies for schools in need – but they weren’t able to see the full impact of what they were giving.
In 2023, they got a little more personalized in their approach by securing a list of popular school supplies for educators and placing one large order and then dividing it evenly between 5 local schools.
For 2024, they wanted to get even more personal with their efforts to really make a difference.
Something different in 2024 & the right supplier to make it happen
For 2024, they made a plan to connect with specific schools on their specific needs. It would take some coordinating and some diligence, but they were up for the challenge and they knew a supplier that would be too: Quill.
“We use Quill a lot here for our office supplies and our Purchasing Department has a really good relationship with the representatives already. We’re good partners to begin with, so we figured that would be a good place to start,” said Harley Draper, Senior Accountant at Nucor Steel Hertford County.
They chose 5 local schools, set a budget of $6000 for each school, and worked with the schools to have them build their dream Quill baskets.
Their Quill rep, Dana Tanner, then worked with the schools to get their orders placed and billed to Nucor Steel at Nucor Steel’s contract pricing. Giving the schools this pricing allowed their allotted budgets to stretch even further.
“Dana definitely kept me in the loop of everything. If there was anything that I needed, or if I had any questions, she was very quick to respond. She was very excited about the project – just like we were,” Harley told us.
What this effort meant to the schools and the committee alike
All of this coordination paid off when schools were able to purchase exactly what they wanted and needed, and the Nucor Steel Hertfod County Community Outreach team was able to tangibly see the difference they were making.
“We’ve gotten some really good feedback about how appreciative they’ve been for the supplies and that they were able to be a little bit more personalized on the stuff they wanted and needed,” Harley told us.
The committee received this quote from one of the schools, White Oak Elementary School: “We would like to extend our sincere gratitude for the generous donation. The Quill supplies are much needed and appreciated.”
One committee member, Kerstyn Burden, Human Resources Coordinator, told us what it meant for her to be a part of this effort.
“We’re in a rural area in North Carolina, so funds are not always available to the teachers. They spend a lot of money out of pocket to provide supplies for their kids,” Kerstyn told us. “I pretty much grew up in Hartford County. It means a lot that Nucor is able to help our public schools.”