CINCINNATI — On the surface, it seems a Fortune 500 company and a nonprofit wouldn’t have much in common. One focuses on servicing customers, the other on communities.
However, a deeper inspection reveals quite a few similarities between Cintas and Matthew 25: Ministries (M25M), two organizations partnered in purpose.
When M25M, a humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization, sent its first ton of supplies to Nicaragua in 1991, the Farmer family already had about 60 years of business on the books. Cintas got its start in the early 1930s, when Doc and Amelia Farmer began laundering rags destined for disposal and selling them back to factories. From the beginning, Cintas has been centered on sustainability.
In almost a century since Cintas’ inception, the company has grown to nearly 50,000 employee-partners. It supports more than 1 million businesses by providing uniforms, mats, mops, towels, restroom supplies, workplace water services, first aid/safety products, eye-wash stations, safety training, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems, and alarm services.
Cintas’ expansive portfolio of offerings provides materials for recycling, which M25M is fully equipped to repurpose.
“They have just made it so easy to help others,” says M25M CEO Tim Mettey.
Shortly after Mettey’s father, Rev. Wendell Mettey, established M25M, he called Cintas to see if the company had any excess supplies the nonprofit could use. Doc and Amelia Farmer’s grandson, Scott, who would later become Cintas CEO, answered the call.
“From that time on, Cintas has been one of our most cherished partners,” Mettey says.
Cintas began donating gently used uniforms that M25M could distribute to people in need. From there, the partnership has only grown, with Cintas contributing excess supplies and M25M giving them a second life with people who need assistance.
“From a sustainability standpoint, the fact that we can take things that have no useful life for Cintas, but still have a useful life for others, and Matthew 25 figures out how to get those in people’s hands, I think that is a win-win for both of our organizations,” says Michelle Goret, Cintas vice president of corporate affairs and long-time M25M board member.
As a company built on delivery services, Cintas understands the critical role mobility plays in reaching people when it matters most. That mission aligns closely with M25M, which deploys into disaster zones to help communities recover. Since 2013, Cintas has sponsored a disaster response vehicle M25M uses to deliver first aid and safety kits.
Commitment to community extends beyond corporate generosity. For more than 20 years, employee-partners have been involved in a companywide charitable campaign, Clothe the Kids, in which people collect new and gently used children’s clothing and new school supplies to help M25M in its efforts to aid children all over the world.
In Cintas’ fiscal 2025, employee-partners gathered nearly $1 million worth of items.
“It’s one of the most amazing programs because all of the employee-partners of Cintas,” says Mettey.
Employee-partners also donate their time, volunteering regularly at M25M. They assist in sorting, processing, and packing donated items, which are then shipped globally.
“This partnership gives our partners an opportunity to personally and directly contribute,” Goret says. “It's a tremendous relationship and opportunity.”
What began as a donation of surplus supplies has become a strategic partnership rooted in shared values and meaningful impact. By aligning Cintas’ scale, sustainability focus, and engaged workforce with M25M’s humanitarian expertise, the partnership extends resources to communities worldwide.
“Cintas and Cintas employee-partners are the reason why Matthew 25 is so successful,” says Mettey.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].
