
Supplements and service: Valentine Enterprises making a difference through StreetWise
You might be surprised by how deeply embedded community care is in the heart of Valentine Enterprises, a company better known for crafting supplements than for changing lives.
Valentine Enterprises is a Lawrenceville-based contract manufacturer that develops customer specific supplement formulas, managing the entire process from product development to packaging.
What does this type of company have to do with StreetWise? Not much — except for its passion for giving back to the community it’s in.
Kathy Scott, HR manager for Valentine Enterprises, was already familiar with StreetWise from her pageant days. But it wasn’t until a few years later that Valentine’s partnership with StreetWise officially began.
“I did my first pageant nine years ago at age 55, and I’ve been volunteering at StreetWise since then,” Kathy said. “I’ve been with Valentine eight years, and about six years ago, its leadership decided to look into charities for employees to give back [their time]. We asked all of our employees to give us suggestions of organizations they would like for us to partner with.
”We took the top 10, and from there a committee narrowed down to the top two — StreetWise was the top one. It’s now what we call our preferred charity of choice. A couple of years later, we also added Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful’s Adopt a Road program as our second charity of choice.”
For Valentine, partnering with StreetWise is more than just “corporate social responsibility”; it’s truly about the people it touches — some of whom are especially close to them.
“It was important to us to give back to organizations in the area where our employees live and work. StreetWise is probably not even a mile and a half down the road from us!” Kathy said.
“We actually have employees who have gone to StreetWise [as clients]. Whether it’s needing help with food, school supplies, a book bag, Christmas presents — whatever the need, not only are we giving back within the community, but also to some employees who may be struggling.”
Valentine has given back in many ways to StreetWise — from monetary donations to paying to have past truck wraps made to many volunteer hours over the years. And for Valentine it truly is a “from the top down” commitment.
“We have board members that volunteer at StreetWise. Our president volunteers at StreetWise. It’s not just our employees; everybody from the top down volunteers and gives them their time and gives back to StreetWise,” she said.
Kathy learned in her early days as a volunteer that appearances can be misleading.
“You think ‘If they can afford that SUV or that truck, they can afford food.’ But I had a very humbling experience with a lady in a big, expensive SUV,” Kathy said.
“[In the line,] she started crying, and she said ‘You don’t know what this means to me and my family. I’ve lost my job. My husband’s lost his job. We worry every month, are we going to have enough money to pay the bills? Are our kids going to have enough food to eat?’ She’s crying, and I’m crying.
“It was kind of a humbling thing; you don’t know anyone’s story, and you can’t judge.
“When you’re at a low point in your life, when in order to eat you’re having to think about going to a food bank, you need to be made to feel special and that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
“I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and there’s a reason clients are meant to be at StreetWise. Some people just get the food and go, and that’s fine. Other people want to talk and tell you their situation. Other people just want to be prayed over. All of these people are there for a reason, and it’s our job as volunteers to be there for them.”
Having volunteered for as many years as she has, Kathy has seen change happen at StreetWise — for the better, in her opinion.
“I see where programs have evolved over the years I’ve been volunteering. Every year, we’ve donated Christmas presents and worked the Christmas event. Last year, StreetWise opened up the Christmas Store for parents to actually go in and see all the presents that they have available and pick out presents for their children,” Kathy said. “I think it speaks volumes about the organization that they [made that change].”
“At the Back-to-School event, I worked the check-in, and I was impressed that not only were parents able to get school supplies, they got to purchase them at a very discounted price. They were also able to go pick out clothes for their kids. [These changes] helped to save parents’ dignity.”
Kathy wants people to know that StreetWise might not be what they first think.
“A lot of people just see a religious organization, and a lot of people shy away from that. But I think it’s important for them to understand that StreetWise does so much more — whether it is counseling; helping with resumes and job interviews; getting food, clothes, school supplies or Christmas gifts — it’s not ‘just a religious organization,’” she said.
“At Mobile Food Pantry, people can come off to the side and pray if they want, but prayer is never forced on someone to get food. That’s not StreetWise.
“And the amount they process at Mobile Food Pantry — 270 cars from 9:00 in the morning to 12:30 in the afternoon — the need is so great, especially right now with inflation — even for people who normally wouldn’t [be in need].
“Nobody likes to go and ask somebody for help; you can see some clients when they come in, they’re embarrassed. It’s our job to make them not feel embarrassed; everybody needs help.”
Kathy’s encouragement to other individuals or businesses looking to make a difference?
“Come volunteer at a charity that makes a difference and inspires you to be better and do more,” Kathy said. “StreetWise does more than people know, and it’s an experience volunteering there and seeing all the different ways you personally can make a difference.”