During the 2008 holiday season, American Steamship Company joined the fight against hunger by assisting the Food Bank of Western New York.  Our Company goal was to provide 1818 meals for those less fortunate in our community; this number represented 101 meals for each of ASC’s 18 vessels.

We are happy to report that American Steamship both met and surpassed its original goal!  In addition to monetary donations, ASC collected enough canned goods and non-perishable food items to provide 2,632 meals for our neighbors in need.

Following on the right are a few pictures of the delivery of our goods by ASC staff members, along with a letter of ‘Thank You’ from the Food Bank of Western New York. 

Holiday season 2007 was a special time for USMC Sergeant Joseph Breylinger. The son of Simon and Debbie Breylinger of Hamburg, NY, he had just completed a tour of duty in Iraq and was home for a holiday visit with family and friends. While he was here, one of his special requests was a visit to American Steamship Company headquarters to deliver his personal thanks to ASC employees who had generously donated to the Adopt-A-Soldier program.

In May of 2007, ASC became involved in the program which has helped to boost the morale of our troops overseas, and ASC employees have shown much enthusiasm and compassion in this very important effort. We began by having local school children write letters to our servicemen and women; approximately 100 letters were sent. In addition, mailing boxes were placed in ASCs kitchen for employees to fill with donated soft and hard goods – everything from candies, cookies, munchies, peanut M&Ms (a favorite of our soldiers abroad) hot sauces, magazines, books, puzzles, playing cards, disposable cameras and much more. Throughout the year, employees generously donated enough goodies to fill over 12 boxes for shipping overseas.

Sergeant Breylinger was one of four servicemen to receive our packages and arranged through his mother, Debbie and ASC employee, Mary Banks, to pay a visit to ASC headquarters in Williamsville, NY while he was home. While here, he and his mother received a tour of our offices and met many of the ASC employees who had contributed to the Adopt-A-Soldier packages. On behalf of all the servicemen who shared the packages, the Breylingers brought a delicious cake and other holiday goodies for ASC employees to enjoy. Sergeant Breylinger, who resides with his wife in Okinawa, Japan, will return to Iraq for another tour of duty sometime in 2008. He knows firsthand that our care packages are sincerely appreciated by those who are so far away from home and who look forward to what they call “a taste of the states.”

Volunteers from the ASC corporate office donated over 100 hours of time to paint the home of a needy Buffalo resident.

In September 2007, American Steamship Company had the opportunity to make a significant difference in the life of an elderly Buffalo city resident. Through an article in the Buffalo News, the ASC Community Partnerships Committee became aware that some homeowners were in jeopardy of losing their homes due to maintenance issues. Working in conjunction with the Old First Ward in Buffalo, the committee found a homeowner in need of assistance and volunteered to help in the painting of her home. After more than 100 hours of work invested by 14 ASC office employees over two days, the house looked great and we had the privilege of helping a deserving individual and improving the appearance of her home and her neighborhood.

ASC People In The News