Giving back to the communities where we live and work is a critical part of our mission at Homeowners Financial Group. We make time for our employees to volunteer during business hours, and each year our culture committee organizes two companywide charitable giving initiatives to help those in need. The focus of this year’s summer initiative is homelessness.
Each of our branches chose a local charity in their area to support. With the help of family, friends, clients and referral sources, employees are working to raise money and collect donations to support the organization they selected. By getting community members involved, our branches can have an even bigger impact on the organizations they’re supporting.
Here are four stories from across the nation that exemplify what our employees are doing this summer to help the homeless populations in their local communities.
AUSTIN, TEXAS
Mobile Loaves and Fishes
The Austin, TX branch teamed up with Mobile Loaves and Fishes, an organization that serves the homeless community in three ways. They deliver food, clothing and hygiene products; provide affordable, permanent tiny houses to people coming out of chronic homelessness; and offer micro-enterprise opportunities to help residents earn a dignified income.
“Mobile Loaves and Fishes recognizes that just giving people who are chronically homeless shelter is not enough. They also focus on building community,” said Angel Carter, Team Marketing Coordinator.
On their service day, branch employees will take a tour of the community and participate in the non-profit’s micro-enterprise program alongside program participants. The branch plans to post photos of the day to social media to raise awareness and set up a fundraising page to collect donations.
“I think it’s really neat that we’re going to have a chance to break out of our bubble and see how this organization is serving the homeless community and for the homeless community to be able to earn a dignified income by hosting our group. It allows them to pay their rent and buy their groceries. And I think we can all appreciate what that does to a person’s spirit,” Angel said.
St. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA
St. Petersburg Free Clinic
The St. Petersburg, FL branch joined forces with the St. Petersburg Free Clinic, which provides food, shelter and healthcare to the homeless and low-income populations in the area. Each branch employee is donating money based on the number of units they close. And the branch is asking for donations from anyone they work with on a regular basis.
The St. Petersburg team plans to use the money they collect to buy supplies to create meal and hygiene kits the clinic can pass out to those in need.
“I’ve worked in this area for 10 years and have seen the impact we can make. Just a simple bag of snacks or hygiene products means the world to people who don’t have homes. To be able to make that impact means so much to our entire branch. We love getting involved in any way that we can,” said Alise Stricklett, Regional Processing Manager.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ
Phoenix Children’s Hospital – Homeless Youth Outreach
The Corporate & Corporate Operations offices in Scottsdale partnered with the Phoenix Children’s Hospital Homeless Youth Outreach program. The hospital’s Crews’n Healthmobile provides healthcare to homeless youth at drop-in centers, schools and other places that are accessible for children and teens living on the streets. They also give out clothes, hygiene products and small gift cards.
The Scottsdale team’s initial goal was to raise $7,500 to donate to the Healthmobile. But they met their goal within the first month of the campaign, so they increased their goal to $10,000.
Maggie Provencher, Corporate Trainer, says participating in the company’s charitable giving initiatives is the thing she likes most about working at Homeowners. “It makes me feel so good that the people I work with are as passionate about these kinds of things as I am.”
“I think it’s important to give back because we have the means to give back, and there are so many people who don’t. It makes me proud to say that I work at Homeowners, and these are the things that we do every year, not just occasionally,” Maggie adds.
ROSEVILLE, CA
The Lazarus Project
The Roseville, CA branch is teaming up with The Lazarus Project, an organization that provides transitional housing to the homeless. The only way the organization can maintain the homes the residents live in is with donations and the help of a limited staff of volunteers.
The team is working on a $20,000 project to revitalize the exterior of a home that houses six senior women. Every branch employee is in charge of securing specific items that are needed to make the project a success. “We’re getting donations for the materials from landscape suppliers, and we’re donating our labor,” said Angel Abrams, Underwriter.
“Part of why I love this company is the culture, and part of that culture is giving back to the community. To me, it helps make my job better because I’m thinking about everybody around me and things we can do to help others,” she says.
To learn more about Homeowners Financial Group’s commitment to #GivingBack, visit our Community page.
