Jon Bjornstad
1238 Henderson Avenue, #4
Sunnyvale, CA 94086

Dear Jon:

Thank you for your Up Front letter. We apologize for the delay in responding to you.

Your comments regarding serving coffee and donuts at the United Way meetings held in November are appreciated.

Coffee and donuts were served by Amdahl, rather than the United Way. They were selected as refreshments that would appeal to the largest number of employees attending the meetings. The items you suggested be served instead -- oatmeal cookies, carrot cake, carob brownies, apples, oranges, raisins, and nuts, fruit juices or herbal tea - may not have been as widely accepted by the majority as coffee and donuts. Any leftovers would have been difficult, if not impossible, to use and would have been wasted.

We agree that serving coffee and donuts has become a custom in our culture. It is, however, widely accepted, and your suggestion that the United Way would be a good place to begin to change this custom does not seem practical. Taking a stand on an issue such as this would also seem to distract from its public service philosophy and endeavors.

Thank you for your interest in the Up Front program, and for taking the time to share your concerns with us.

Sincerely,
Pat Huston
Program Administrator