Standing outside the yet-to-open WNY Cheese Plant, officials from the Dairy Farmers of America and Shambaugh and Sons donated to two different community organizations on Tuesday — the local VFW and the York-Leicester Recreation. Each received $3,000.
For the rec program, The funds will be used to supplement the current funds as well as help offset costs for programming.
“We’ve lost a lot of state funding in the past several years, so this is really going to help us fund our program,” said Pete Robinson, of the Rec program. “There’s a lot of things we have to pay for.”
The program is free to kids but the funds are used to help pay for things like equipment, supplies and field trips they may go on.
“Most of it will go to the kids and whatever activities we have planned,” Robinson added.
As for the people donating the money, they said investing locally and giving back is a priority of theirs.
“Community relationships are very important to us as a company,” said Ray Begin, project manager with Shambaugh and Sons. “Anyplace we go, we’ve done this and try to leave a little something behind, as far as getting local workers here and buying equipment. It’s a snowball effect to help everybody around.”
“We’re spending a lot of money in this community and we’re trying to use as much community labor, material suppliers and vendors as possible,” said Dairy Farmers of America Project Enginner Bill McPhail. “We also make an impact here because we’re on the roads and we’re creating a little bit of a footprint so it’s out way of giving back.”
Ground was broken for the 30,000 square-foot plant in August of last year and will work in partnership with Craig’s Station Creamery, the DFA and Arla Foods.
The plant will provide a collaborative effort between eight farms from both Livingston and Wyoming Counties.
New York State offered a $2 million investment last December in the form of grant funding and tax credits. The total bill for the facility comes to about $50 million.
About 20 jobs will be created upon opening with another 10 to be added soon after. Job listings can be found at the DFA website.
The plant is slated to open later this year.
Source: The Daily News
Link: http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/bdn01/soon-to-open-wny-cheese-plant-already-gives-back-go-community-20170927