Defiance, Iowa — Smitty Bee Honey recently made the day of a regional retirement community a little bit sweeter. The company donated all of the beeswax sheets from their candle-making operation to the nonprofit New Cassel Retirement Home in Omaha, Nebraska. The wax, valued at over $12,000, will be used by residents and volunteers to create and sell beeswax candles, allowing the group to raise funds that will help cover their expenses.

Smitty Bee also donated all of the candle holders and molds that remained in inventory from their former gift shop. While honey will continue to be available for individuals to purchase out of the front office at the company’s facility, their expanding operations will focus on enhancing retail production and industrial honey packing services.

Community stewardship is important to Smitty Bee. In addition to the New Cassel Retirement Home donation, the company regularly makes contributions to support the missions of a variety of local and regional organizations, such as fire departments, churches, and various fundraising programs.