With just over two weeks to go before Christmas, John W. Danforth Co., one of the largest mechanical contractors in the northeast, is once again helping The Salvation Army fill the holiday wish lists of hundreds of Western New York children and families in need this season.

Employees from Danforth arrived in a flash at The Salvation Army’s headquarters on Main Street in downtown Buffalo, carried not by a reindeer-pulled sleigh, but in a firetruck filled with donated holiday gifts. In all, they delivered more than four barrels filled with hundreds of toys, games, blankets, hats, gloves and more to help bring the warmth and spirit of the holiday season to fellow Western New Yorkers. The items were donated by Danforth employees during a month-long collection drive at the company’s Tonawanda headquarters.

“The spirit of community and a commitment to helping our neighbors are things we celebrate and believe in very strongly,” said Danforth CEO Robert Beck. “Supporting outstanding partners like The Salvation Army means a great deal to everyone at Danforth.”

The donation continues the strong partnership developed between Danforth and The Salvation Army over the last several years, including annual holiday drives to collect food, toys, clothing, and other items, since 2018. Last month, the Salvation Army presented Danforth its Corporate Citizenship Award in recognition of the company’s long-standing commitment to serving others. The award recognizes a company that exemplifies the qualities of an outstanding work ethic displayed through their hands-on commitment to their community.

Danforth’s annual holiday drive helps the Salvation Army’s efforts to provide toys for over 1,200 families in Western New York.

“Having a committed and supportive community partner like Danforth is incredible,” said Major Annette Lock, The Salvation Army Director of Operations, Erie County. “We can’t express just how much this partnership and the generosity of Danforth’s employees mean to the people we serve. The toys will be used during our toy distribution at holiday time, and the hats and gloves will be distributed to those in need during our cold winter months.”

Earlier this holiday season, Danforth employees in Albany and Rochester, New York also reached out to help neighbors in need.

In Albany, Danforth organized a Thanksgiving food drive in conjunction with CAPTAIN Community Human Services, a volunteer-driven non-profit organization in Saratoga County. The Danforth team collected food and assembled 25 food baskets for several local families. The baskets included everything needed for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, including a gift card for a turkey. Danforth has been partnering with CAPTAIN for the past four years, providing Thanksgiving baskets for more than 80 local families in need.

In Rochester, Danforth again stepped forward to support local Veterans and their families living in low-income housing at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center campus. Danforth has been conducting an annual Veterans Holiday Food Drive at its Rochester office for the past six years. The drive supports residents living in Building 17 on the Canandaigua VA campus, which provides housing for Veterans who are disabled and/or low-income. Each of the building’s 17 apartments received a basket with all the fixings for a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Families with children also received a Thanksgiving turkey.

 “We could not be prouder of the way our workers always embrace the opportunity to help make the holidays a little brighter for others in our communities,” Beck said.

Founded in 1884, Danforth has more than 1,000 employees across a geographic footprint that includes operations in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany, New York, and Columbus, Ohio. The company works collaboratively with its union labor partners including the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters, the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART) Workers, and several other labor partners across many local union jurisdictions throughout the northeast and beyond. Danforth operates an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, giving the company’s workforce an ownership stake in the company.