On Nov. 12, Takeuchi-US employees, including President Jeff Stewart, presented the Banks Jackson Food Bank in Commerce, Ga., with enough food for 200 Thanksgiving dinners and an extra $2,550 to buy additional turkeys to feed even more needy families.

This generous donation, worth a total of about $4,000, started out as a simple accompaniment to a fun company event and morphed into something far more meaningful.

In October, Takeuchi hosted employees and their families for Family Fun Day. Leading up to the event, Takeuchi had a food drive to collect both food and monetary donations for the Banks Jackson Food Bank.

At Family Fun Day, approximately 200 adults and children enjoyed a pumpkin patch, food from local food trucks and numerous activities including bouncy houses, pumpkin painting, an egg race, a magician, corn hole games, a photobooth, a giant "Jenga" game and hayrack rides. One particularly popular event was "Meringue the Manager," where employees paid money to throw whipped cream pies at their managers, raising an additional $600 for the food bank.

Takeuchi then generously agreed to double whatever employees raised, which resulted in the total donation of 200 Thanksgiving dinners and $2,550 in additional funds.

"We wanted to host Family Fun Day for our employees so that they could bond after a long year apart following the pandemic," said Stewart. "It was also a great way for us to come together and do something for our community. I'm proud of how our employees stepped up and raised a significant amount of money that will help local families enjoy Thanksgiving dinners that they wouldn't have otherwise been able to afford."

For more information, visit www.takeuchi-us.com.