Spreading Good Goes Farther Than the Field
New Leader Manufacturing is known around the world for industry-leading innovations that help farmers and municipalities spread their materials efficiently and precisely. On a local level, however, NLM is well known for something else: spreading good.
For over 30 years, NLM has adopted a community-first mindset and making it a priority to give back to the communities that its employees call home. In 2019, this philanthropic focus was formalized as Spreading Good 380.
Spreading Good 380
Spreading Good 380 is a charitable giving program designed to spread generosity and kindness to direct service organizations that work to support causes, assist those in need, and improve the lives of individuals in our region.
Eligible non-profit organizations, churches, schools, and individuals can submit funding requests during one of two application periods each year. Requests might include funding support for a specific program, a piece of equipment, or other resources needed to succeed.
Local Impact
In 2023, the Spreading Good 380 program proudly awarded over $290,000 to 54 organizations in Iowa.
Here are a few examples of the impact NLM funding had in 2023:
The Hiawatha Public Library
NLM funds helped provide brand new Wonderbooks! These books have a device inside that can read out loud with kids as well as an option function that helps build reading comprehension skills along the way.
Boys & Girls Club
Funding supported the Club’s Career Academy program, which prepares middle and high school-aged members for life after graduation. The program aims to help students learn more about careers they might be interested in pursuing.
Junior Achievement
Funding supported Junior Achievement’s BizTown, a program for 5th and 6th graders. BizTown combines in-class learning and a full day of visiting a simulated town where they can practice different roles, like operating a bank, managing a restaurant, writing checks, and more!
Metro High School
Funding supported the high school’s greenhouse, a valuable learning resource for students, engaging them with hands-on experience. The greenhouse curriculum includes growing plants and understanding the process of photosynthesis, soil nutrition, processing technologies, manufacturing techniques, and sustainable agriculture. It will also serve as an environmental education center.
Willis Dady Homeless Services
Funding supported Willis Dady’s mattress recycling program and covered wages for 4 part-time mattress recycling employees. As the only program of its kind in the state, they work directly with nearby landfills to divert mattresses that would otherwise take over 100 years to decompose. They have expanded the program into providing additional employment opportunities to individuals experiencing homelessness while having a positive ecological impact on our community.
Refugee & Immigrant Association
Funding supported fuel costs for the school transportation program in Cedar Rapids, which provides safe, reliable transportation for over 50 children from refugee and immigrant families to and from school.
Miracles in Motion Therapeutic Equestrian Center
Funding supported the adaptive riding program at Miracles in Motion, which focuses on building strength and confidence for riders with social, motor, or other developmental challenges.
Fresh Start Ministries
Funding supported the RISE Program, which helps individuals transition from incarceration. This includes assistance finding employment and necessary resources, like steel-toe boots, work pants, and nonskid shoes that many need to start employment and become financially independent.
To learn more about the Spreading Good 380 program, visit newleader.com/spreading-good-landing/.
H2O Program
NLM’s H2O Program, in collaboration with Catholic Relief Services, aims to help African communities access safe, clean water needed for everyday life. This resource that many of us take for granted is, unfortunately, a resource that one in eight people around the world don’t have access to.
Global Impact
Proceeds from the H2O program help bring clean water supplies, sanitation training, hygiene programming, and environmental infrastructure to communities overseas. This includes building and rehabbing wells and natural springs as well as constructing and connecting water reservoirs, installing solar power systems, and investing in farming practices that help restore land and soil.
Catholic Relief Services has developed and rehabilitated more than 4,000 water sources, providing access to safe and adequate water to more than 8 million people. Additionally, nearly 2.2 million acres of land have been restored through these improved practices.
Since 2017, NLM has supported these efforts through individual giving campaigns as well as a portion of every NL5000 G5 spreader sale donated in support of H2O initiatives.
To learn more about the H20 program and the work it supports, visit https://www.crs.org/our-work-overseas/program-areas/water-security