Wheatland Tube gives $200,000

Union representatives are collecting funds at the plant gate.
WHEATLAND, Pa. -- Wheatland Tube Co. is donating $200,000 to aid victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and their families, and company employees are raising money as well.
Wheatland, a division of John Maneely Company, said this week that it is giving $100,000 to the American Red Cross Liberty Fund and $100,000 to Catholic Charities USA.
"These two charitable organizations were carefully selected," said Peter S. Dooner, president and chief operating officer of John Maneely Company.
"They were expressly chosen for their reputation in efficiently administering relief funds and their stated purpose in making funds available to all victims of the tragedy."
Bill Kerins, vice president of operations at Wheatland, said the company made a donation in 1985 when a tornado devastated parts of Wheatland and the surrounding area.
Additional giving: Many employees have already made individual donations through community organizations, their churches and national funds. Many have also donated blood or participated in church and community activities, he said.
United Steelworkers of America Local 1660, representing production workers at the plant, has been taking collections at the plant gate and will make its own donation, Kerins said.
"As a company, we recognize the need to respond to a nation in need as we continue to support the local community as well," Kerins said.
Dooner said the John Maneely Company was founded 120 years ago by a young man from Ireland who discovered in America the better life he was seeking.
"With these donations, we hope to return some of the blessings America has bestowed on us to those now in need," he said.
Wheatland Tube, a pipe and tube manufacturer, operates plants here and in Chicago and Little Rock, Ark.
Its products are used in a wide variety of applications, including plumbing and heating, electrical, mechanical, industrial, fire sprinklers, fencing and oil and gas.