In a heartwarming event held at the headquarters of Gabriella's
Smile Foundation in San Antonio, TX, earlier this August, Postal
Center International (PCI) partnered with the organization by
donating 100 backpacks with school supplies and assisted in
distributing them to children fighting cancer. This initiative is
part of an annual series of backpack drives PCI sponsors across the
country supporting the communities it serves.
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From left to right: Megan Vance and
Isabel Torres from Gabriella's Smile team host Berny Barahona,
Sonia Gutierrez, and Julio Zuniga from PCI's Southwest Facility for
the backpack distribution. (Photo credit: Postal Center
International)
The event, filled with joy, gratitude, and hope, saw young
students receiving backpacks and school essentials, providing them
with a sense of normalcy and excitement for the upcoming school
year.
Ismael Diaz, PCI's President and CEO, expressed his commitment
to making a difference in the communities PCI serves.
"At PCI, we believe in giving back to the community and making a
positive impact. Partnering with Gabriella's Smile Foundation
allows us to bring joy to these brave children and their families.
Seeing their faces light up when they receive their school supplies
is truly priceless," he said.
Isabel Torres, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Gabriella's
Smile Foundation, was pleased with the event's success and PCI’s
partnership.
“The event was really great! We had a great turnout. Almost 60
children, along with their parents, came by to pick up backpacks.
The kids were super happy, excited, and very hopeful,” said
Torres.
“In addition to donating 100 backpacks with school supplies, PCI
associates brought snacks and were on hand to distribute donuts,
drinks, and water to the children when they came in, which was very
helpful,” she continued.
The Co-Founder and Executive Director of Gabriella's Smile
Foundation said the occasion lived up to its expectations by
assisting in offsetting the costs associated with back-to-school
shopping.
“When a parent has four or five children, and one has cancer,
they're worried about the money it is going to take to buy school
supplies and backpacks to make sure the kids are ready for school.
A lot of the families were grateful and thankful that we were
helping them out in this way,” she said.
According to the latest National Retail Federation (NRF) survey,
back-to-school spending is expected to reach an unparalleled $41.5
billion, up from $36.9 billion last year. Families with children in
elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $890.07
on back-to-school items this year. This is approximately $25 more
than last year’s record of $864.35 and a new high.
Torres said several new families attended the event, and that,
too, was a plus, as they could connect with other families sharing
similar journeys.
The event concluded with heartfelt thanks and a renewed sense of
hope for the future. Gabriella's Smile Foundation and PCI remain
dedicated to their mission of supporting children with cancer and
their families, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to
smile and thrive.
The annual backpack drive is integral to PCI’s ongoing community
outreach initiatives. The company has successfully distributed
school supplies to students in Florida and Massachusetts.
For more information about PCI, the company’s commitment to
youth, and its contribution to the communities in which it
operates, please visit www.PCIbrands.com.
About Postal Center International (PCI)
Postal Center International (PCI) was founded in 1984 and is a
leading print, mail, fulfillment, signs, and marketing solutions
partner. Under the leadership of President & CEO Ismael Diaz
since 2006, PCI has become renowned as one of the nation’s largest
state-of-the-art transactional printing, postal, and mail
processing service organizations. The company’s family of brands
employs more than 560 associates, with annual sales of over $500
million, at its locations in the Southeast, Southwest, and
Northeast regions, with a footprint totaling 562K square feet. PCI
delivers exceptional mail, print, signs, fulfillment, promotional,
packaging, and marketing solutions for enterprise clients in
industries such as banking, financial, healthcare, insurance,
hospitality, and government nationwide. PCI is a HIPAA-compliant
Certified Minority Owned Diverse Supplier at the state and national
levels. It holds multiple security, sustainability, and quality
certifications, including HITRUST CSF®, TruSight, FDR, PCI DSS, SOC
2 (Type 2), FSC, SFI, PEFC, and G7.
About Gabriella's Smile Foundation
Located in San Antonio, Texas, Gabriella's Smile Foundation is
dedicated to supporting families of children battling cancer by
providing financial assistance, emotional support, and resources.
Since 2016, the foundation has served over 1,900 children with
backpacks, delivering them to oncology clinics in local children's
hospitals. The backpacks are gifted to these brave cancer warriors
and their siblings annually before the start of each school year.
For more information, please visit www.gabriellassmile.org.
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Paula Mescolin Director of Marketing and Communications Postal
Center International 800.430.7241 | Ext 2091 Phone: (754) 215-8201
Email: paulam@surfpci.com