Workwear Company Donates Boots to Maine Vocational Students

A Massachusetts-based workwear company is helping support the next generation of Maine’s skilled workforce.

Brunt Workwear donated 120 boxes of work boots Monday to students at the Westbrook Regional Vocational Center. WGME reported that the boots will be given to students enrolled in hands-on programs such as construction, automotive technology, and heavy equipment operation—fields where proper work gear is essential from day one.

School leaders say the donation will make a real difference for students preparing to enter the trades. Quality work boots can be expensive, and providing them removes one more barrier for students pursuing careers in skilled labor.

Brunt Workwear officials say supporting trade education is a key part of their mission. Jeremy Perkins, the company’s Associate Director of Community Events, says the effort is especially meaningful because of his own background in the trades.

“I spent my upbringing in the trades,” Perkins said. “I was an auto mechanic for years, so I’ve been where these students are. I see the opportunity that exists for young people willing to go out there and build infrastructure and support their communities.”

Perkins says the country is facing a growing demand for skilled workers in fields like construction, mechanics, and heavy equipment operation. He says investing in students now helps ensure communities will have the workforce needed in the future.

The news station explained that Brunt Workwear serves more than 40 million men and women working in the trades across the United States. The company says it hopes to donate 100,000 pairs of boots to trade schools nationwide by 2030, helping more students step confidently into careers in the skilled trades.