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Operational Excellence Meets Community Impact
How Our Team Delivered 10,000 Warming Kits Across New Jersey in One Day
December 2025
What does operational excellence look like when it’s in service of something bigger?
This December, our Edison, NJ facility team showed us as they partnered with Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH) to execute their inaugural Day of Connection—a $500,000 community initiative that brought warmth to thousands of New Jersey residents this holiday season (link to press release).
THE CHALLENGE
HMH approached us with an ambitious vision: distribute 10,000 warming kits and DoorDash gift cards to nearly 200 charities across the state of NJ in a single day. Each kit would include adult and child-sized gloves, hats, neck gaiters, and socks—essential items for those facing the harsh winter months ahead.
The timeline was tight.
The scale was massive.
The impact would be profound.
THE SOLUTION: WHEN OPERATIONS BECOMES MISSION-DRIVEN
Under the leadership of Mike Pfitzner and Dennis Summers, our Edison, NJ team didn’t just accept the challenge, they embraced it. Over four intensive days, they transformed our facility into a command center for community impact.
- Day 1: The team worked alongside HMH’s Materials Management and Social Impact + Population Health teams to sort more than 50,000 individual items for delivery.
- Day 2: Our drivers delivered materials to HMH hospital locations, where hundreds of healthcare workers packed over 10,000 bags—a true collaboration between healthcare and logistics.
- Day 3: The team retrieved thousands of assembled kits and orchestrated a complex distribution plan spanning the entire state of New Jersey.
- Day 4: Eight driver teams hit the road at dawn, covering nearly 4,000 miles to reach charitable organizations from Newton in the north to Cape May at the southern tip of the state—completing all 76 delivery stops by mid-day.
GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND
What made this project truly remarkable wasn’t just the logistics, it was the commitment.
Team members volunteered personal vehicles. Operations leaders became delivery drivers. A team member even traveled from our Maryland facility to participate. The facility paused day-to-day operations for nearly a week.
This is what partnership looks like when teams align around a shared mission that’s bigger than any single transaction.
“dancker was a huge help and we honestly couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you.”
Monica L. Calle
Corporate Materials Management | Hackensack Meridian Health
THE RIPPLE EFFECT
Through shelters and warming centers across New Jersey, these kits will reach vulnerable populations during the coldest months of the year. Children will have gloves that fit. Adults experiencing homelessness will have warm socks. Families will have hot meals delivered through gift cards provided.
But the impact extends beyond the immediate recipients. This project demonstrated how logistics providers can be strategic partners in community initiatives—bringing operational expertise, flexibility, and heart to social impact programs.
OUR COMMITMENT TO REMARKABLE SERVICE
At dancker, we believe that remarkable service means showing up—not just for our clients, but for the communities we serve together. The HMH Day of Connection exemplifies our values in action: operational excellence, collaborative partnership, and a commitment to making a meaningful difference.
We’re grateful to HMH for inviting us to be part of this initiative, and we’re incredibly proud of the Edison team that made it happen.
To learn more about our commitment to community impact and operational excellence, contact us.
