Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Nearly three weeks after more than 1,500 employees suddenly lost their job with the immediate closure of the Sumitomo Rubber plant in Tonawanda, United Way of Buffalo & Erie County (UWBEC) activated its Community Resilience Fund on Monday to support the former employees with the distribution of 500 free turkeys and $50 Tops Friendly Markets gift cards ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday this Thursday.
These donations, courtesy of UWBEC, provides the former Sumitomo employees some tangible assistance to their families this holiday season.
"At United Way, we pay attention to what's happening in the community, and we wonder whether or not we need to respond," said Trina Burruss, president and CEO of UWBEC. "The media and the community might remember, about two years ago, we propped up, what we call, the Community Resilience Fund to respond to the needs of the blizzard. It's been dormant, fortunately, much has been OK in the community. But when this occurred, we said, 'This is the time.' We've got 1,500 folks who have good paying jobs who we know will need some assistance from the community over the coming months, until they find what their next chapter will include. So we wanted to be able to do this today. It's the work of the United Way, and we wanted people, largely, to know from Sumitomo that we are thinking about them, and the community ultimately cares."
This Thanksgiving distribution reflects UWBEC’s deep-rooted commitment to addressing urgent community needs and supporting working families. With an 80-year partnership with organized labor unions, UWBEC is dedicated to fostering a community where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
"Everybody's coming out in droves to get it," said Lori Abbott, one of the former Sumitomo employees and member of Local 135L. "It's important, because we were just hit out of nowhere. So now you're scrambling to get food for the holidays and gifts, so this is really a big deal. I really appreciate it, the turkeys and the gift cards. That goes a long way."
Abbott says many of the workers coming through the lines on Monday are appreciative of the efforts from United Way and other members of the community. It signifies to them how much the Western New Yorkers cares after such a sudden life-changing closure.
"We do a lot of fundraising over the community a lot, so for us to be getting it back now, it feels really good," Abbott said.
Many former Sumitomo employees were said to have arrived early at United Way's headquarters in Buffalo, creating a line of cars coming to get their turkeys and gift cards.
"I got here early and they were already here. I'm like, 'OK! Come on and get your turkey!' So this is nice to see everybody, it feels good," Abbott noted.
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Burruss says those at UWBEC were not surprised by the turnout of former Sumitomo workers, which is why they knew they needed to get organized quickly in order to be able to accommodate for those directly affected by the sudden closure.
"We understand the value of a job that pays at the level that that does, and people are concerned. We've been having an opportunity to speak to some of the workers as they've come up, and they are showing gratefulness, but also concern for what's going to happen next," Burruss noted.
Abbott adds since the more than 1,500 employees lost their jobs almost three weeks ago, it has been very hard for these men and women to find new jobs in the area.
"It's very stressful, because you want to get somewhere where you've got a another strong union, possibly. So it's a job looking for a job," she said.
In addition to the turkeys and the gift cards, UWBEC is also set to provide support for those former Sumitomo employees over the next six months through their Work Life Solutions program.
"United Way employees are providing support through resources in the community. So the employees from Sumitomo will be able to call and get help from those employees that work for us for the next six months," Burruss explained.
"I was just talking to a gentleman, his son has 11 years in, his son is only 35, and his son is going to, for the first time in his life, have to figure out how to have a good job. Well, in-between now and the next six months, his son will be able to reach out to us and find out if he has any community supports available to him. We may need to do something else, we don't know, but we stand ready in case that time does come."