Meridian Waste Provides Thanksgiving Meals in Partnership with NECAC

The Company That Usually Does the Pickup Does Some Dropping Off

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (November 26, 2019) – Meridian Waste, an integrated, non-hazardous solid waste services company, in partnership with the North East Community Action Corporation (NECAC) Pike County, donated 30 Thanksgiving dinners to families throughout the company’s Pike County collection service area and home to the company’s Eagle Ridge Landfill.

Meridian Waste first initiated this program last year in 2018 as a means of giving back to the community.  The partnership with NECAC was such a success that both organizations have now made it a tradition. Meridian Waste provides the financial resources, promotion of the event and volunteers while NECAC selects the families in need and hosts the dinner give-away at their Pike Co Service Center facility located at 805 Bus Hwy. 61 N, Bowling Green.  In order to be given a turkey dinner, the families must agree to participate in one of NECAC’s life skills workshops so that the giving goes beyond one meal and helps to educate families with much-needed life skill workshops such as Budgeting, Nutrition, Self-Esteem, Good Neighbor and Building Strong Families.

Eagle Ridge General Manager Roger Smith was joined by Linda Fritz and Chandra Roberts of NECAC, and Meridian Waste Missouri Government and Community Affairs Manager Natalie Denando to shop, assemble, and welcome the families to pick up their Thanksgiving meals. Meridian Waste invited customers and landfill neighbors to help identify qualifying families by mailing over 500 informational invitations to nominate a family in need. The chosen families’ names and pictures are not published out of privacy and respect.

"As a vital part of Pike County's environmental infrastructure, it is our commitment to responsibly manage the solid waste collection and disposal needs of citizens, businesses, and governments in the East Central Missouri area," said Smith. "We are dedicated to the communities that we serve and today that means making sure a few more families can enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday."

The traditional Thanksgiving meals each include a turkey, stuffing, cranberries, dinner rolls, pumpkin pie, and more for the recipients to cook and customize to warm their homes and share with their families. 

In addition to today’s Thanksgiving Dinner Donation program with NECAC, one of Eagle Ridge Landfill's newest Thanksgiving “giving back” initiatives includes a Turkey Drop meet and greet with their neighbors. Smith and Denando drove to five of their closest neighbors' homes to share good tidings and gift them a holiday turkey. 

 

PHOTO 1: Linda Fritz and Chandra Roberts of the NECAC, Roger Smith and Natalie Denando of Meridian Waste, and Save A Lot Manager Larry Hensiek.

 

PHOTO 2: Donation boxes of Thanksgiving food items are assembled for the families to pick up.

About Meridian Waste 

Headquartered in Charlotte, NC., Meridian Waste is a company defined by its commitment to servicing its customers, caring for and engaging its employees, and generating financial value for its shareholders while delivering a clean and healthy community. The company's core waste business is centered on residential, commercial, and industrial non-hazardous waste collection and disposal. Currently, the company operates in., Richmond, Va., Blacksburg, Va., Augusta, Ga., Northeast Florida St. Louis, Mo and Knoxville, Tenn., servicing more than 119,000 residential, commercial, industrial and governmental customers. In addition to a fleet of commercial, residential, and roll-off trucks, the company operates one transfer station, three recycling facilities, three municipal solid waste landfills and two C&D landfills in which 890,676 tons of waste are safely disposed annually. For more information, visit MeridianWaste.com.

About North East Community Action Corporation

"NECAC strives to make a difference by empowering people, improving lives and building communities." Our Mission is to assist the disadvantaged within our service area in their efforts to rise above poverty by providing needed services to enable each individual to function at his or her own improved financial, physical, mental and social level.

Established in 1965, North East Community Action Corporation (NECAC) has been managing and delivering an abundance of social service, community health and public housing programs to the low-income, elderly, youth, handicapped and disadvantaged through contracts and grants with federal, state and local governments, other not-for-profit agencies and private businesses.

Our promise is changing people's lives, embodying the spirit of hope, improving communities and making America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people, help themselves and each other.

For more information on the North East Community Action Corporation (NECAC) Pike County, please visit https://necac.org/.