Hayes Dana retirees donate record amount to Community Care Thorold

It’s the giving season, so the retirees of the now-closed Hayes Dana Plant in Thorold South once again held a fundraiser for Community Care Thorold.

The group has broken all records this year with a supersized haul that includes 650 pounds of food, winter clothing and a cash donation of $4,380.

“We put out a few more posts and we opened it up to online,” explains group member Marilyn Colbert. “There are lots of Dana people who live outside of Niagara that can't or don't come to the meetings. And a couple of our fellows Jerry Fleming and Terry Savoy, they passed away and a lot of people made donations from their families and things of that nature.”

Throughout the year the retirees meet once a month.

“We usually get about 72 people at just a regular meeting,” Colbert says. “Sometimes we have speakers in, you know, it depends what's going on around town and who's available to come and talk to us. So, I try and keep things on the go and upbeat.”

While the Hayes Dana Plant has closed over 15 years ago, the bond between the retirees is still going strong.

“It's a great group,” says Colbert. “One of the first groups I've been involved with where everybody gets along, shakes hands, you know, that sort of thing. If I see somebody that doesn't come to the meeting, I say, ‘The guys you worked with want to see you.’ And of course, once they come, they're hooked,”

The fundraiser for Community Care Thorold coincided with the group's Christmas luncheon.

“We had it catered by Antipastos,” says Colbert. “It was very nice. It was beautiful. 115 people came. It's just a great group.”