U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company’s Employees Donate $100,000 to Chicagoland Nonprofits

U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company’s Employees (USSTC) have donated $100,000 to 16 nonprofits based in the Chicagoland area through the Altria Companies Employee Community Fund (ACECF). This marks the third year that Altria employees including U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company have made grants in the Chicago region. USSTC is part of the Altria family of companies.

In 2011, the ACECF expanded from Richmond, Va. to include employees located at U.S. Smokeless Tobacco’s Franklin Park, Ill., Hopkinsville, Ky., and Nashville, Tenn. facilities.

“Altria employees give generously each year, investing their own money to make our communities better places in which to work and live. The spirit of giving that emanates from our mission is embodied by Altria’s employees who donate their own money, manage grant decision making, and invest in their communities,” said Tonya Austeri, USSTC Director of Plant Operations and ACECF Board Member. “Every dollar employees give to the ACECF goes directly to non-profit groups working to address the challenges our communities face such as domestic violence, emergency services, hunger relief, homelessness, and youth and adult services. We are thrilled that this year’s donations reached $100,000, up from $79,000 last year.”

The ACECF is an employee-funded charitable giving program managed and supported by Altria employees. It is one of the only employee-driven workplace-giving programs that are publicly reported among U.S. companies, according to the Changing Our World organization. Altria covers ACECF’s administrative costs to ensure that every dollar employees raise goes directly to supporting local non-profit organizations and also makes an annual contribution to support the fund.

ACECF provided grants to the following Chicagoland organizations for 2013:

Bethany Place

Beacon Therapeutic School Inc.

Carenet Pregnancy Services of Dupage County Inc.

Comfort Zone Camp Inc.

Communities in Schools of Chicago

Des Plaines Healthy Community Partnership

Facing Forward to End Homelessness

Family Rescue

Family Shelter Service Inc.

Greater Chicago Food Depository

Leyden Family Service and Mental Health Center

Maryville Academy

Northeast Dupage Special Recreation Association

The Night Ministry

826Chi Inc.

Food Desert Action

The ACECF was founded in 2000 by Altria employees because they wanted a way to be more actively involved in helping their local communities. This year, more than $2.9 million in grants were awarded to nonprofits in communities in Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Throughout the past 12 years, the ACECF has awarded 1,452 grants totaling more than $40 million to nonprofit organizations, mostly located in central Virginia.

To learn more about the ACECF, please visit altria.com.