Newberry County Literacy Council receives $10,000 from Kraft Heinz

NEWBERRY — Representatives from Kraft Heinz Company in Newberry left Barbara Chapman, Newberry County Literacy Council’s director, in shock after they presented her with a $10,000 check on Jan. 20.

Chapman, who was almost lost for words, said she was overwhelmed after receiving the check from Kraft Heinz. However, she said this money will help the Literacy Council open the doors to families in Newberry County. She said with COVID-19 numbers, they may bring them in five or so at a time, but they do not want any child to be left behind.

“The Kraft Heinz Foundation is really big about giving back to our community. Our plant was given an allotment of funds and we were asked where we wanted our funds to go; at our plant, we have about 1,500 employees and literacy is extremely important, helping with our employees, helping their children learn how to read” said Marcitta Hanner, manufacturing manager at Kraft Heinz in Newberry. “We know she (Chapman) does a lot giving back, teaching kids how to read, so we wanted to open doors for our employees to give them different avenues and options to be able to help their children read and help them read as well.”

The relationship between Newberry County Literacy Council and Kraft Heinz in Newberry began last year, during the Juneteenth event in the City of Newberry. Hanner said that Kraft Heinz had the opportunity to be a sponsor for the inaugural Juneteenth event.

“We were able to give out T-shirts, goody bags; that started our relationship with the Literacy Council and from there we want to continue to grow our relationship and to continue to give back to the community,” she said.

Hanner added that Juneteenth helped build a bridge between Kraft Heinz and the community.

“Kraft Heinz has been here in this community for over 50 years, we are definitely trying to make a step in the right direction to give back to the community in which our employees live. This is a very good first step, and we want to continue to do more,” Hanner said.

Kat Longerbeam, HR manager for Kraft Heinz in Newberry, added that she thinks it is a great opportunity to give back to the community.

“We have had a lot of opportunities to give back and this is just one of many that we have done,” she said.

Joseph McDonald, who is on the Advisory Board for the Newberry County Literacy Council, noted that the Kraft Heinz facility in Newberry and the Newberry County Literacy Council have both been in Newberry for about 50 years.

The Newberry Literacy Council is located at 1208 Main Street, Newberry. To learn more about their services call 803-276-8086.