Sept. 9, 2021

This paid piece is sponsored by POET.

“Caring for the needs of the community with compassion while sharing the hope of Jesus Christ.”

Mission statements capture the heart of a company or organization. The mission statement of Union Gospel Mission is no exception, and it strikes at the heart of all who read it. It also echoes the values of POET. Both organizations work to make their communities — and the world — a better place.

POET recently donated hand sanitizer to the Union Gospel Mission, an organization that provides shelter, food and clothing to those in need in the Sioux Falls area. The mission strives to support others by providing basic necessities as well as offering education and health and rehabilitation services. The organization consists of a chapel, dining hall, thrift store, men’s center, and a women and children’s center.

Eric Weber, a representative for the Union Gospel Mission, stressed the significant impact the donation made in keeping safe the employees, volunteers and individuals and families using the resources.

“Let me start off with a big thank you to POET,” Weber said. “We serve over 150,000 meals a year, and that’s a lot of hands to clean! We also have an outreach team that helps people and kids that don’t stay at the mission.”

At the start of the pandemic, the POET team pivoted and began producing purified alcohol to help alleviate the global shortage of cleaning and sanitizing products. The company quickly began donating supplies to hospitals, first responders and other organizations to help keep those most in need safe from illness. For the mission, donations included hand sanitizer, bathroom spray sanitizer, cleaner for offices and the chapel, kitchen sanitizer, graffiti spray remover and shoe cleaner.

“When COVID hit, we spent a lot of money on cleaning and sanitizing goods for the homeless and the shelter,” Weber said. “So this donation from POET — that we still use today in the kitchen, men’s center and women’s center — was a blessing for us. COVID was not an issue at the mission because we had partners like POET.”

In 2020, the Union Gospel Mission served over 151,000 meals and provided over 45,000 nights of lodging for those in need. The mission averaged 125 guests per night throughout the year. The donation from POET assisted in keeping these guests safe and provided peace of mind for everyone working and living in the organization’s centers.

For Alyssa Broin, a representative of POET Gives Back, the donation to Union Gospel Mission is all about helping those in need during a challenging time.

“POET’s mission is all about giving back. Whether it is giving back to the Earth or to our communities, we want to take care of one another. We work hard to do the right thing. That’s what this donation was about: helping those who are vulnerable and in need during a global pandemic. That is the core of POET’s values, and we’re proud to be able to support an organization that values local communities and giving back as much as we do.”

As supply chains have returned to pre-pandemic levels, POET is donating excess hand sanitizer to organizations in need. Since the start of production, POET has donated thousands of gallons of sanitizer across the nation.