This outer East Portland company is known, world wide, for innovating the “multi-tool”. Look at this, and see the soft side of these hardware folks ‚Ķ
Leatherman Tool Group volunteer employees Sunnie Espinoza, Dorothy Brady, LaVerta Eblen, Ina Ward, Richard Ward (in back) Beth Sullivan and Mike Jones gather just before they distribute gifts to needy families.
Story and photo by David F. Ashton
It seems that people who invented and make the world’s best “tool chest in your pocket” multi-tool, aren’t just about hardware.
We learned the employees of Leatherman Tool Group, located east of the airport, have a soft spot for people in need.
Helping for a dozen years
“For 12 years, we’ve helped families in need,” explained sales specialist LaVerta Eblen. “This year, we ‘adopted’ three families.”
Eblen said they work with the Salvation Army. “They gave us information about three families in need. Through them, we learn their needs and wishes.”
With this “shopping list” in hand, company volunteers break down the list into a series of tags. Then, many of the 380 Leatherman employees anonymously participate by taking a tag or two, buying gifts, wrapping them, and putting them under the company’s Christmas tree.
“We give each family two to three weeks of food. Each person in the household gets several gifts. And, we fill huge stockings with gifts and goodies for each child,” Eblen told us, as volunteers prepared to deliver the packages on December 16.
In addition, Eblen said Leatherman that shops for, and provides, a complete holiday dinner, with all the trimmings, for each of the families.
Why do they do it?
“It unites us as a company,” Eblen replied.
© 2006 David F. Ashton ~ East PDX News