Toray’s holiday spirit thrives despite COVID-19!

North Kingstown, R.I. – For the past 17 years, employees of Toray Plastics (America), Inc., gathered in December at the company’s headquarters in North Kingstown for a charity breakfast aimed at celebrating the true  meaning of the holiday season: giving to people in need. Undeterred by the restrictions necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has required that many of the company’s employees temporarily work from home, Toray mobilized and remade the breakfast into a successful, hybrid campaign that engaged staff on and off the campus. The united effort enabled the company to fulfill its commitment to the Rhode Island community for the 18^th consecutive year. The U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program and the Naval Station Newport’s Caring and Sharing program, beneficiaries of Toray’s charity event since the first holiday breakfast, were supported. The Rhode Island Community Food Bank, in serious need of help, also received a donation. The toys will be distributed to local families. The monies will help the Naval Command provide holiday food baskets to sailors and their families, who might otherwise be unable to have a special holiday dinner, and will also be used to help the food bank feed Rhode Islanders who need assistance.

“It has been a challenging year in so many ways,” says Lisa A. Ahart, Vice President of U.S. Corporate Human Resources and Environment Health and Safety. “We have had to change how we do many things, including our annual charity events and campaigns. This year the Rhode Island community has had to navigate more difficulty than ever before, and it was important that we continue to help where we could. While I am not surprised by the Toray employees’ ‘can-do’ spirit, it is deeply gratifying to see it in action. I am very appreciative of their determination to help spread some holiday cheer with their generosity. We are also extremely grateful to the Toray vendors who contributed, too.”

Toray Plastics (America), Inc., is a leading manufacturer of polyester, polypropylene, and metallized films, and polypropylene and polyethylene foams. The company is committed to environmental, social, and corporate governance and aims to contribute to society through the creation of new value with innovative ideas, technologies, and products that help address global issues. R&D is focused on the development of materials that are fossil fuel-free, compostable, biodegradable, and/or recyclable. The company’s sustainability initiative, launched in 2004, includes the operating of one of Rhode Island’s larger solar farms and two cogeneration systems, energy and water conservation, recycling, and zero landfill.

Toray Plastics (America) is a subsidiary of the Toray Group, which believes that materials can change lives and provide real solutions to the challenges the world faces. The Toray Group is the world leader in synthetic fibers and textiles, carbon fibers, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and high-performance films and has annual sales exceeding US$21 billion. For more information about Toray Plastics (America)’s products, contact Mary Osso at [email protected] or 401-667-2281. Toray Plastics (America), Inc., headquarters is located at 50 Belver Avenue, North Kingstown, RI 02852-7500; telephone 401-294-4511, fax 401-294-3410. Visit the Toray Plastics (America), Inc., website at www.toraytpa.com.