Owatonna’s Cash Wise ‘Rounds-Up’ a Remarkable Donation for Community Pathways
Every year Cash Wise Foods has its “Round-Up” event during the Holiday season, and it turned out to be a season of giving this year, as the community donated $3,688 to Community Pathways!
Cash Wise has been hosting its Round-Up event for years, and each year they give what is donated to Community Pathways. Over the course of a couple of weeks during the holiday season, every customer is greeted with a notification at check out, asking if they would like to round up their total to the nearest dollar.
I had a chance to speak with Dom Korbel, Executive Director of Community Pathways, who is always very appreciative of the partnership between them, the community, and the businesses of Owatonna.
“It’s really amazing because it is all computerized,” exclaims Dom. “Everything is done by the computers in the registers and it makes it simple for Cash Wise, us, and of course, the customer.” Dom also shares that he never knows the amount till it is over, so it’s like a grand surprise for them and the community, whom it will then go back to.
What is really wonderful about the whole event is that the grand total is then divided on Cash Wise gift cards. Dom explained that it’s an amazing opportunity for Community Pathways because it opens the door to more resources that they can’t normally access.
“Just recently there was a family in Owatonna that was on the verge of homelessness, and so they resided in the hotel near Cash Wise. The family called [Community Pathways] to help them with food, but they also needed baby items like baby Tylenol or diapers, and unfortunately, we do not have that,” explains Dom. “Thankfully I had a Cash Wise gift card from last year and gave it to them so they could get the supplies they needed for their child.”
It is because of partnership events like Round-Up by Cash Wise that help and continue to showcase that the Owatonna community is here for those who need an extra hand. Dom shared with me that the story of the family is pretty common, so it is greatly appreciated when events like Round-Up occur.
“This was a great year! I mean this year’s donation surpassed last year’s greatly and it is always an unexpected surprise of generosity from those who participate,” exclaims Dom. “Our entire program relies on the community, and Cash Wise is a very helpful partnership that allows us to open the door to more resources that people need.”
Thank you to Cash Wise, Community Pathways, and of course, those who continue to make Owatonna a strong and supportive community.
