Wednesday, December 17, 2014
WARREN
General Motors Lordstown retirees Maryola Stemple and Linda St. John pass out corn and chicken broth in assembly-line fashion.
For several years they have come together to the United Auto Workers Local 1112 Care and Share food distribution at the union hall, and Wednesday’s event was no different.
They worked alongside other Local 1112 active and nonactive members to fill boxes for a little more than 300 families in need.
“It is the right thing to,” said St. John, who retired in 2005.
“It is rewarding to know we can help someone,” Stemple said.
That someone includes Ashley Rosa, a 31-year-old mother of two from Austintown. Her daughter, Arionna Bass, 3, joined her Wednesday to get an assortment of groceries from spaghetti sauce to peanut butter and jelly.
“It will help us get through the next few weeks,” Rosa said.
Rosa is a temporary worker at the Lordstown plant where GM’s best-selling car, the Chevrolet Cruze, is built.
“It’s a good company and a good union,” Rosa said.
Rosa’s name was put in by someone who works at the plant. Salaried and union workers both are able to fill out applications for someone in need. The union raises money to pay for the canned goods and other food essentials through fundraisers. Workers also bring in goods to add to the boxes for those in need.
“Every family gets the same amount,” said Karen Eusanio, chairperson of community services for Local 1112.
Read more about the program in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.