Winter 2002 Forward to a Friend


Subaru Of America’s Regional Offices
Make A Difference In The Community

Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is known for its commitment to improving the quality of life in the communities where the company’s employees live and work. That philosophy is perhaps best illustrated through the efforts of the company’s regional offices, whose employees work to make the holidays a little better for those around them.

Feeding The Hungry

To help combat hunger in the Midwest, employees of SOA’s Mid-America Region office in Itasca, Illinois, hold annual food drives in conjunction with the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The not-for-profit Depository distributes donated and purchased food through soup kitchens, shelters and pantries in the Chicago area.

Recognizing the Depository’s strong commitment to feeding the hungry, Mid-America employees hold their drive every December, with a goal of collecting 200 pounds of food.

“Compared to the overall amount of food we distribute, the amount may not seem like that much,” says Beth Lowe, the Depository’s Manager of Promotions. “But if it wasn’t for all the individual food drives, we couldn’t raise nearly the amount of food that we do. Even the small ones really add up.”

Other SOA regional offices make feeding the hungry a priority, too. The Western Region office in Portland, Oregon, organized a food drive early in the fall after hearing the local food banks were running low. The Southeast Region office in Austell, Georgia, improves conditions in its area by working with the Salvation Army. The team effort provides canned goods and money to the area’s food banks.


The 2001 SOA holiday card is decorated with a watercolor design painted by a 14-year-old student from Kingsway Learning Center. Located in Haddonfield, New Jersey, the private, nonprofit special education school is devoted to the academic and therapeutic needs of children with developmental and learning disabilities. Each year, SOA employees from across the country choose the winning design for the card from among the students’ submissions, and SOA makes a grant to the school in exchange for the artwork. This year’s grant will help furnish a classroom for more academically capable students.

Toys For Tots

Since 1947, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots program has been providing needy children with toys at the holidays – it’s a program that both the Central Region (in Aurora, Colorado) and Southeast Region offices support wholeheartedly. Starting in October, employees collect new, unwrapped toys in the office. Marine Reservists then sort, wrap and distribute the toys to needy children, letting them know someone cares and wants them to have a happy holiday.