Dozens of Monroe County Head Start Families “Adopted”
East Stroudsburg, PA – Today, Sanofi Pasteur employees continued the company’s 17-year tradition of collecting and hand-delivering gifts, non-perishable food items, and supermarket gift cards to Pocono Services for Families and Children (PSFC). These items were donated through the company’s “Adopt-A-Family” drive, which will benefit 34 Monroe County Head Start families.
Company employees’ steadfast commitment to this drive has consistently brightened the holidays of low-income families in Monroe County. But this year, their generous donations were even more critical, as recent census data revealed the number of local children living below the poverty level has grown substantially.
“At PSFC, we see the growing need firsthand with many new faces coming to us for help. During challenging times like these, with stretched resources and budgets, we couldn’t be more grateful for generous partners like the ones at Sanofi Pasteur,” said Jackie Lapping, Family/Health manager at PSFC.
“Sanofi Pasteur employees have always proudly embraced a sense of corporate responsibility for our fellow community members,” said Ellyn Schindler, director of Community Relations, Sanofi Pasteur US. “This commitment is demonstrated in many ways, whether through significant employee donations to the annual United Way campaign, their participation in Sanofi’s National Volunteer Week, or the many causes receiving support through the company’s Community Relations Team, which includes dozens of employee volunteers.”
The commitment Sanofi Pasteur employees have shown toward the “Adopt-a-Family” drive marks only one of the many ways the company has given back to Head Start this year. Last month, employees and contractors delivered 197 pairs of winter boots, plus clothes and food, to Monroe County Head Start families as part of the company’s Thanksgiving holiday drive. Sanofi Pasteur also donates significant annual funding toward Pocono Services for Families and Children. In 2011 alone Sanofi Pasteur provided this organization with $56,000 in donations, earmarked for classroom programs, scholarships, and an emergency fund for Head Start families to cover heating and food costs.
About Head Start
Head Start is a child development program that has served low-income children and their families since 1965. The Head Start program is administered by the Head Start Bureau; the Administration on Children, Youth and Families; Administration for Children and Families; and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Those interested in providing a donation to help local families and children in need can contact Monroe County Head Start representative Jackie Lapping at 570-421-2711 x230.
About Sanofi
Sanofi, a global and diversified healthcare leader, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions focused on patients’ needs. Sanofi has core strengths in the field of healthcare with seven growth platforms: diabetes solutions, human vaccines, innovative drugs, rare diseases, consumer healthcare, emerging markets and animal health. Sanofi is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY).
Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, provides more than 1 billion doses of vaccine each year, making it possible to immunize more than 500 million people across the globe. A world leader in the vaccine industry, Sanofi Pasteur offers the broadest range of vaccines protecting against 20 infectious diseases. The company’s heritage, to create vaccines that protect life, dates back more than a century. Sanofi Pasteur is the largest company entirely dedicated to vaccines. Every day, the company invests more than EUR 1 million in research and development. For more information, please visit: www.sanofipasteur.com or www.sanofipasteur.us
