PAWTUCKET – Business Week magazine has ranked Hasbro Inc. as one of the top 15 most generous in-kind givers among companies. To develop the ranking, the publication looked at how much product companies donated as a percentage of revenues.
“It is the hard work and efforts of our employees that enable us to help so many children and families,” said Hasbro CEO and President Alfred J. Verrecchia.
According to Hasbro, more than 100,000 children in Rhode Island and Springfield, Mass., benefited from the Children’s Giving Tree program. It also has other charitable programs including Hasbro Holidays, its disaster-relief program and toys for after-school programs, hospitals, shelters and orphanages around the world.
This is Business Week’s first annual philanthropy issue; other companies on the list are Eli Lilly, Microsoft, General Mills and Office Depot.
URI, fishing groups establish Commercial Fisheries Center
KINGSTON – The University of Rhode Island’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences and five state nonprofit commercial fishing organizations have agreed to establish the Rhode Island Commercial Fisheries Center. It will be located at URI’s East Farm.
The center will serve as the home for the fishing groups and will include office and meeting space as well as a repository for information related to the groups and fishing industry.
“I’m very excited that we’ve been able to help in bringing together the various commercial fishing groups in the state and provide them with a permanent home,” said Jeff Seemann, dean of the College of the Environment and Life Sciences.
The fishing organizations include the Ocean State Fisherman’s Association; The R.I. Commercial Fisherman’s Association; the R.I. Lobsterman’s Association; the R.I. Seafood Council; and the R.I. Shellfisherman’s Association. The groups will pay $1 a year to lease the building.
“I don’t think there’s any one place like this in the country,” said Chris Brown, president of the R.I. Commercial Fisherman’s Association.
