On Friday, June 18th, PDI, a global leader in infection prevention products and service solutions, celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Be The Difference Day, a day dedicated to giving back to its local communities. In honor of this day, members of PDI’s leadership team and associates across the organization donated their time and resources to non-profit organizations that they are passionate about and that represent the PDI mission and brand.
“Friday marked the 10th anniversary of PDI’s Be The Difference Day, which is an amazing, genuine, and heart-felt demonstration of our spirit of giving and community involvement,” said Kent Davies, President and Chief Operating Officer, PDI. “This annual event formally celebrates the company’s social and community contributions and aligns our collective commitment to meaningfully give back to the areas we live in and work.”
In 2012, Rockland County, NY, proclaimed June 18th as “PDI Be the Difference®” Day in recognition of the company’s many social and economic contributions to the community and its decades of service. An event which originated locally to PDI headquarters has now expanded to all geographies and areas of the company, including its field-based and international associates. This year, over 300 PDI associates participated. Five teams were formed, focused on key areas of commitment aligned with PDI’s values and markets served— healthcare charities, children’s charities, food pantries, animal shelters, and sustainability.
Over $36,000 was raised for various non-profit organizations, inclusive of company match and proceeds from a 5K walk benefiting St. Jude’s Research Center, as well as countless donations of critical items, such as gently used clothing, non-perishable food, and pet supplies. In addition to monetary donations, teams coordinated volunteer activities to include park clean ups, fostering shelter animals, and cooking food for people in need.
At PDI’s Orangeburg, NY, manufacturing plant, associates assembled 3,000 hygiene kits for the Rockland County, NY-based People to People and Bergen County, NJ-based Tri-Boro Food Pantry organizations. These vital kits contain eleven essential hygiene products, including the company’s Sani-Hands® Hand Sanitizers and Hygea® Bathing Cloths.
Extending the reach of PDI Be The Difference Day
What started as a local event has become global in its reach. For their first year, PDI International associates supported the annual event with donations to cancer research, The Red Cross and child protection services. Associates also volunteered their time for homeless and animal shelters, as well as participated in community clean ups, cared for the elderly, and cycled for an organization supporting people of all abilities.
Sister-company, Nice-Pak Products, joined the celebration and demonstrated their aligned values of giving and community engagement by encouraging associates to donate money, time or merchandise to one of several organizations local to Rockland County, including Meals on Wheels of Rockland County, Rockland County YMCA’s “Send a Kid to Camp” Campaign, Keep Rockland Beautiful, Hi-Tor Animal Care Center while supporting our shared commitment to sustainability.
“Never could we have imagined in 2012, when Rockland County proclaimed June 18th as ‘PDI Be the Difference Day,’ that the tradition would continue 10 years later and expand to have such a tremendous impact across the globe,” said Zachary T. Julius, Chief Executive Officer, PDI. “It’s an honor to have PDI’s commitment to supporting the community formally recognized. Our associates and leadership team look forward to the annual tradition of giving back, which is evident in the enormous level of support and engagement this year.”
