Dead River ‘shares the warmth’
PORTLAND — A business with an official Facebook fan page is not all that uncommon today, but how it is introduced to a community can be.
Dead River Company launched its official Facebook fan page, Monday and has tied its introduction to a philanthropic effort called Share the Warmth. Over a five-week period, the company plans to randomly hide 20 $500 charitable certificates across its service footprint — Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont — and is inviting people to find them and give them to their favorite charities.
During the last 100 years, Dead River Company, one of the largest distributors of petroleum products in northern New England, has given its customers many reasons to like the company — from its commitment to supporting the communities it serves, to providing comfort and warmth through its products and services, to being a trusted advisor and helping customers create more energy-efficient homes, to always offering reliable and dependable service. Now, its customers and non-customers will have yet another reason to “like” the company.
As part of its charitable giving program, Dead River Company is donating $10,000 to local 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont through its Share the Warmth initiative on Facebook. Individuals are invited to “like” the company’s newly launched Facebook page, www.facebook.com/DeadRiverCompany, and follow clues to 20 hidden $500 charitable certificates that the finders can donate to the organization of their choice.
“Every day we work hard as a company to ensure our customers have the fuel they need and to provide responsive, exceptional customer service to keep homes across northern New England warm and comfortable,” said Robert Moore, president, Dead River Company. “Our Share the Warmth initiative is an extension of how the company gives back to our local communities and is about paying it forward — truly a neighbor to neighbor effort. It’s exciting to actively engage members of our communities and have them join us in sharing the warmth.”
The Share the Warmth initiative starts at Noon on Monday, October 18th and will span five weeks, ending at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 19. Each week, daily clues to four hidden $500 charitable certificates will be posted on the company’s Facebook page. The clues will lead to 20 hidden 4-foot-tall cardboard cutouts of a Houlton-based delivery driver named Arthur. Each Arthur cutout will be hidden in randomly selected locations across the company’s tri-state service area.
To participate, individuals must find an Arthur cutout and take it to their local Dead River Company office. Instructions are included on each Arthur cutout, but in order to find it, participants are invited to “like” Dead River Company on Facebook to receive daily clues posted at noon, Monday through Friday. Once the Arthur cutout is found and returned, the participant can select the local non-profit organization she/he wants to receive the $500 charitable donation. Dead River Company will personally deliver the donation made on behalf of the individual. Participants are encouraged to share their experience of finding Arthur and how they feel the donation will make a difference to the charity via video, photographs and posts on the company’s Facebook page.
Moore continued, “We selected our Houlton-based employee Arthur, a 27-year-veteran delivery driver, to symbolize our Share the Warmth initiative because he epitomizes our company’s commitment to being caring, genuine, dependable, local and trustworthy.”
Customers and non-customers are eligible to participate. However, individuals that find Arthur cannot be employees of Dead River Company, a family member of a Dead River Company employee or a paid employee of a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The company does encourage participating individuals to select local non-profit organizations that benefit people in need. Share the Warmth official rules can be found at www.deadriver.com.”
