Melaleuca Spreads Holiday Cheer Near and Far

In the spirit of doing good where good is needed, Melaleuca has recently made several donations that will enhance thousands of lives this holiday season. Melaleuca’s charitable contributions will brighten the holidays for hundreds of less-fortunate families in southeast Idaho, orphans in Quito, Ecuador, and U.S. veterans, soldiers and their families.

Giving to Families in Need

With its global headquarters in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Melaleuca has always made helping its neighbors in southeast Idaho a priority.

Once again this Christmas, Melaleuca employees bought presents for hundreds of children through the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program. They donated coats, snow pants, gloves, boots, toys, video games, art supplies, gift cards, and more. These gifts, along with a financial donation from Melaleuca, helped more than 500 families. The non-profit organization will use the donations to ease the financial burden that many less-fortunate families face each holiday season.

Melaleuca also donated dozens of hams and smoked turkeys to the Salvation Army. These items, along with nonperishable food items collected during Melaleuca’s food drive, will help brighten the holidays for hundreds of area families in need.

Melaleuca also wrapped up its 28^th year financially sponsoring the Scouting for Food drive. Over that time, thanks to Melaleuca’s partnership, the Boy Scouts of America Grand Teton Council has collected more than 2,750 tons of food for tens of thousands of families.

The company also participated in the Christmas Basket donation drive, which is a philanthropic effort led by St. Vincent de Paul, the Idaho Falls Catholic Community, and the First Presbyterian Church. This helped brighten the holidays for hundreds of local low-income families throughout southeast Idaho. This program provided 400 families with a week’s worth of food, while their children received clothing, bicycles and wrapped presents they specifically asked for. Melaleuca made financial and in-kind donations to support this cause.

A Lesson in Service

Chris Hansen, a manager at Melaleuca, involved his three young sons in the company’s local charity events this holiday season. “It’s easy for my boys to overlook the many blessings they enjoy in life, just as it was for me growing up,” Hansen says. “This year, I wanted them to see firsthand people in their own community who go without the things they often take for granted. I love that if you want to perform an act of service, Melaleuca makes it easy to do.”

Through the Angel Tree program, Hansen had each of his sons pick out a gift for a boy their same age. “We also worked with St. Vincent de Paul, assembling the food boxes donated by Melaleuca, bagging beans and rice, and passing out wrapped presents to the families in need,” Hansen said. “With each activity, we had a discussion about why we were doing it and what it means to serve your fellow man. It was a humbling experience, and it made me honored to be a Melaleuca employee. It was a great start to what will be a family tradition from now on.”

A Brighter Holiday for Orphans

The Melaleuca Foundation is the sole financial supporter of the Santa Lucia Children’s Home in Quito, Ecuador. Melaleuca’s Marketing Executives and corporate employees give to this orphanage throughout the year to ensure the children living there are provided with everything they need, from food and shelter to medical care.

Recently, the Melaleuca Foundation made an additional donation for the express purpose of making this holiday season especially merry and bright for the children of Santa Lucia. This financial contribution will pay for fun toys, new clothes, school supplies and other items to help make the children’s Christmas and New Year’s celebrations extra special.

Honoring America’s Heroes

Melaleuca is proud to show its patriotism by honoring the brave men and women who have given so much to defend and protect the freedoms enjoyed by every American. As a way to salute their sacrifice, Melaleuca recently made a financial contribution to fund a special tribute dinner for local veterans, soldiers, and their families.