How does the saying go? “The best gifts come from the heart.” Well, in a world of next-day delivery and Amazon Prime, buying is easier than ever and giving can be done with little forethought. That isn’t to say that gifts have lost their meaning—far from it—but the more we look for authenticity, the harder it seems to be to find. Perhaps it’s because the word authenticity has lost its punch as it’s become a buzzword at work, on social media and even in advertising, but I believe it’s because we don’t talk about it enough when we see it.

True authenticity is boring; it means that you act in ways that show your character and beliefs without trying to please others and that rarely makes the news, even when it should. Doing the right thing when no one is watching can be difficult, but it’s often the small decisions that make a big difference. Like where you buy your office paper.

Enter: Buy & Give Office Paper.

Paper with a Purpose

Paper has been around for thousands of years as an integral part of our communities—communication, creation and collaboration are only a few of many uses—but paper with a purpose? Well, that’s all Millcraft.

Founded in 1920 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Millcraft celebrated 100 years in business as an independent, fourth-generation, family-owned merchant serving the professional paper, packaging and graphic arts industries. Their consistent success derives from an unwavering commitment to the guiding principles of its founders to “positively and meaningfully impact the people we work with every day – our co-workers, customers, supply partners, families, communities and friends.”

That positive impact arrives in the form of Buy & Give Office Paper, Millcraft’s program that allows businesses to support local charities through routine purchases of Millcraft’s Buy & Give brand office paper.

For every carton of paper purchased, Millcraft donates $1 to their Buy & Give program. Now, that may not sound like much, but take a second to think about how much paper your office uses in a year…

Exactly.

What started in their hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, spread across the heart of the Midwest, raising more than $600,000 to date since the beginning of the program.

Source: https://millcraft-6851799.hs-sites.com/blog/buy-give-honoring-community-with-ohios-hospice-of-dayton

“Buy & Give grew out of Millcraft’s mission to meaningfully impact those with whom we work each and every day,” says Travis Mlakar, President and Chief Executive Officer of Millcraft, With the ongoing health and economic challenges our communities continue to face, there is no prouder achievement for the entire Millcraft family than this means of giving back in some small measure to those in greatest need.”

The Buy & Give programs benefit eight different designated non-profits across Millcraft’s regions and the programs are chosen by regional Millcraft teams within each area. These organizations include:

• Blessings in a Back Pack(Louisville)
• S. Mott Children’s Hospital/University of Michigan Health System(Detroit)
• Easter Seals/The Miracle League of North Oakland(Detroit)
• Hospice of Cincinnati(Cincinnati)
• Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton(Dayton)
• Make a Wish – Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana(Fort Wayne/Indianapolis)
• Nationwide Children’s Hospital(Columbus)
• Prayers from Maria(Cleveland)

The financial impact alone makes Buy & Give noteworthy—after all, inflation is skyrocketing and behind many of those dollars is a person wondering if there’s help coming—but that’s not the driving force behind Buy & Give.

It’s the heart at the center of the program that makes us love what it’s about.

Gifts from the Heart

“When you’re in a business that many people feel is a commodity business, it’s really not what you sell; it’s why you sell it.”

Sounds like just one of those corporate -isms, but it’s actually another quote from Travis Mlakar. You see, Travis isn’t just familiar with Buy & Give because he’s the president of Millcraft, he’s a large part of why it exists. His family’s experience with the talents and dedication of the medical teams that helped save the life of his son is what lit his desire to give back to the communities in which we live and work and inspire Millcraft to do the same. And thus, the program was born.

Buy & Give is authentic, not because of who it helps but why it helps; it’s employee-driven, it’s rooted in local communities and it comes from the heart.

Every charity that Buy & Give helps can share any number of similar stories and each story is made up of real people and real moments like the one below.

Source – https://www.millcraft.com/buy-give/

When you purchase Buy & Give paper, you’re not just buying a product, you’re supporting real people with every paper purchase. That’s why Domtar partners with Millcraft to market Buy & Give multi-purpose paper—because we believe in their mission. John Milazo, Vice President of Merchant Sales at Domtar, sums it up succinctly, “Millcraft’s unwavering focus on helping those in need and giving back to their local communities aligns perfectly with Domtar’s core principles and values.”

Helping families. Helping communities.

To purchase Buy & Give paper, or to learn more about the program, visit Millcraft’s website and fill out their Buy & Give Interest Form.

For more stories like this one, visit www.paper.domtar.com/blog.