Liberty Tire Recycling said its employees, business partners and supporters raised $195,000 in 2026 for Blessings in a Backpack, a national nonprofit that provides weekend food to school-aged children who might otherwise go hungry. The Pittsburgh-based tire recycler announced the total in recognition of National Childhood Hunger Awareness Day and World Food Day.
The 2026 effort is the third year of the company's partnership with the nonprofit. According to Liberty, the money was raised through its Liberty Cares Charity Golf Tournament together with contributions from partners.
Three-year fundraising total
Chief executive Thomas Womble credited employees, customers and partners for the result and put it in the context of the full partnership. In three years, he said, the company has raised more than $400,000 and packed more than 16,000 food packs for children in need, adding that the outcome depends on employees donating their time and on customers and partners committing their own time and resources.
Liberty reported raising $87,805 in the first year of the partnership in 2024 and $132,785 in 2025. With the 2026 total, the company said it has now raised more than $415,000 for Blessings in a Backpack over three years.
Packing events at five locations
Employees at five Liberty sites will pack weekend meal bags at events scheduled for late October:
- Santa Fe Springs, California
- Midlothian, Texas
- Minerva, Ohio
- Jackson, Georgia
- Portland, Oregon
Together, the teams are expected to pack 6,500 bags of weekend meals for local Blessings in a Backpack programs.
The company is also running a notecard activity so that sites not hosting a packing event can take part. Employees will write and color notes of encouragement that go into the bags students take home.
Alexis Hartman, manager of corporate partnerships for the Midwest at Blessings in a Backpack, thanked Liberty's leadership, customers, employees and the donors and sponsors of the outings, saying the funds support the nonprofit's mission and work and that the organization is grateful for the support provided year after year.
Liberty said the partnership grew out of employee feedback: when staff were asked what mattered most to them, they said they wanted to back a cause that helps children and fights hunger, which the nonprofit does on both counts.