Simpson Strong-Tie welcomed Sam Hensen as the new Senior Vice President and Branch Manager of the manufacturing branch in Stockton, California. With over 20 years at Simpson in a number of diverse leadership roles, Sam brought to his new position a focus on the company’s core value of giving back to the community. He aimed to engage the branch in service initiatives, encouraging team participation in monthly give-back events. Read on to learn about each event and the organizations they collaborated with.
January – Kids Against Hunger
The branch joined forces with Kids Against Hunger for a meal-packing event on January 23. All Stockton employees worked together to pack an impressive total of 43,956 meals, surpassing our goal of 40,000. The collective effort aimed at making a positive difference in the community was not only successful, but also heartwarming and fun. All packaged meals were donated to Second Harvest of the Greater Valley, supporting a local food pantry in their mission to combat hunger.
February – Showered with Love
On February 21, our Stockton employees held a hygiene-kit assembling event and put together 4,000 kits. The kits were donated to Showered with Love, a local mobile shower unit that provides showers, essential items and other valuable resources to the homeless community. We also donated much-needed items from their wish list, such as soap, garbage bags, socks and underwear. Leading up to the event, we also held an Essential Items Drive, so employees had the opportunity to donate as well.
Due to the amount of items donated, Showered with Love was able to share hygiene kits with Cleansing Hope, a mobile shower in neighboring Stanislaus County, and a local church in Stockton for their Homeless Outreach program.
Each kit included the following: toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shaving cream, body wipe, tissue and ChapStick.
March – Child Abuse Prevention Council & San Joaquin Human Services Agency
On March 25, we partnered with San Joaquin Human Services Agency and Child Abuse Prevention Council to identify the needs of resource families awaiting foster children and donated nearly $15,000 worth of essential items. Our team of volunteers worked together to assemble baby bundles, consisting of diapers, baby wipes, formula, bottles, blankets and more! We also donated $5,000 in gift cards for the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program. Often, CASA volunteers cover expenses out of their own pockets and these gift cards will help alleviate some of that cost, especially since they are meeting weekly. Additionally, for the kids, having their own gift cards provides a sense of independence for our youth in foster care, as they won’t have to rely on their foster families for money.
May – Big Bike Build
On May 20, we hosted our Big Bike Build event, where approximately 450 employees came together across four sessions to assemble a total of 305 bikes. Employees worked carefully to ensure each bike was assembled correctly, supported by a dedicated quality control team that tested each bike to confirm it was in safe, operating condition before being donated. Along with the bikes, employees prepared bags containing helmets, bike locks, and pumps. The event was featured on Good Day Sacramento, which aired two live segments from our facility. The following day, the bikes were delivered to seven local schools and two nonprofit organizations, spreading joy and support throughout our community.
May – Red Cross Blood Drive
At our third annual Red Cross Blood Drive on May 29, held in our training center, we set a new branch record by collecting 43 units of blood! This impressive achievement brings our total collection over the last three drives to 103 units. The Red Cross uses these donations to help patients in need of blood transfusions, including those undergoing surgeries, cancer treatments and emergency care. Blood donation is crucial for saving lives and for supporting the medical treatments of countless individuals facing critical health conditions.
June – Camp Taylor Picnic Table Build
Simpson Strong-Tie in Stockton, CA, organized a meaningful give-back activity where employees came together to build picnic benches and planter boxes for Camp Taylor in Modesto, a camp dedicated to kids with heart conditions. On June 26, our team built seven redwood picnic tables, three benches, and two planter boxes. With the support of our engineering team, who provided the plans and pre-cut the lumber, employees worked together in teams to assemble everything using Simpson Strong-Tie products. All items were delivered to Camp Taylor the following day, enhancing the camp’s facilities and supporting their mission.
July – Backpack Giveaway and Back-to–School Resource Fair
In July, the Northwest Branch organized a successful Backpack Giveaway and Back-to-School Resource Fair at our facility, which provided backpacks and school supplies to 500 children, all donated by Simpson Strong-Tie. The event took place on Saturday, July 13, when members of the Giveback Committee came together to distribute the supplies. In addition to the backpack giveaway, multiple exhibitors joined us to raise awareness about the resources they offer to families. Also joining us were the Stockton police department K-9 unit, the Stockton fire department, and Splash the Mascot from the Stockton Ports minor league baseball team, who handed out tickets to families for the game that night. The remaining school supplies were donated to local schools the following week. This event is the latest example of our ongoing commitment to giving back to the community.
August – Do What You Can Day
Our ninth annual Do What You Can Day was held in August. The Stockton employees along with our teams in Kent, Denver and Salt Lake City worked together to assemble mentor kits for volunteers with the ACE Mentor Program, an organization dedicated to helping high school students pursue careers in the building industry. Together as a company, we contributed more than 845 volunteer hours and $28,300 worth of volunteer time, assembling nearly 950 kits in all.
September – Habitat for Humanity Playhouse Build
In September, all Simpson Strong-Tie employees in Stockton participated in a Playhouse Build event in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. In all, we assembled 11 playhouses, painting each one with custom designs. The event fostered teamwork as employees worked together to create unique and colorful playhouses, which were then donated to local children and nonprofit organizations. The Playhouse Build program supports Habitat for Humanity’s mission to build and sustain affordable homeownership for local, low-income families.
October – Teacher Nominations
For our October give-back, we asked our employees to nominate awesome teachers. The give-back committee will review all nominations and select 40 winners to receive donated items from their wish lists.
November – Annual Food Drive
For November, we planned to supersize our annual food drive by “Filling the Truck”! We filled one of our Simpson truck trailers and donated it to the Stockton Emergency Food Bank.
December – Toys for Tots and Adopt a Families
In December, we’ll kick off our annual toy drive for a Toys for Tots donation. We also plan to select a nonprofit to partner with us to “adopt” local families in need.
Through Sam Hensen’s leadership, the Stockton branch of Simpson Strong-Tie made significant strides in giving back to the community. Each monthly event not only strengthened local partnerships but also fostered a sense of teamwork and purpose among the employees. This commitment to service reflects both the company’s values and Sam’s dedication to making a positive impact. As the branch looks forward to continuing these efforts in 2025, their 2024 actions serve as a testament to the meaningful difference that can be achieved when individuals come together for a common cause.