A responsibility of living and running a business in a community is taking steps to make it a better place for everyone to grow and thrive. Through Keyrenter Cares, our franchise owners find causes they believe in and organize team projects to benefit their local communities. These events give team members a great sense of accomplishment and allow them to build relationships with the community and with each other.
It’s a win-win for Keyrenter teams and the communities where they live. Here are a few events that took place around the country this year, where Keyrenter teams donated their time to help others.
City Garden Project — Salt Lake City, Utah
The team from Keyrenter Property Management Salt Lake took part in the City Garden Project, which is an extension of the Meals on Wheels program. The project is coordinated by the Salt Lake County Department of Aging and Adult Services to provide meals for homebound older adults.
Through the City Garden Project, vegetables are grown in the Salt Lake County gardens. Between August and October, when the bounty of harvest is plentiful, volunteers are needed to wash, sort, and bag the food. It’s then distributed to eligible seniors through the Meals on Wheels program.
Every Friday, for about six weeks, members of the Salt Lake City office would send a couple of volunteers to help prepare the harvested vegetables for delivery.
“It was fun because the groceries were sorted in the atrium of the Salt Lake County Building, which connects to the Senior Housing Tower,” said Ryland Sloat, Client Success Manager for Keyrenter Salt Lake. “Elderly residents would come down and visit with us while we were sorting produce. It was a good time making friends and sharing stories.”
Children’s Center of Utah – Salt Lake City, Utah
Members of the Salt Lake City office also volunteered to wash toys for the Children’s Center of Utah in February. This organization provides care and support to small children and their families, with an emphasis on mental health care and well-being. Toys are very important at the center because they’re used for playtime and therapy sessions.
Cleaning the toys is a big project that’s needed on a regular basis. Using good old-fashioned elbow grease and soap, Keyrenter volunteers had a good time cleaning the toys and returning them to the children.
Feed More Hunger Relief Organization — Richmond, Virginia
The team from Keyrenter Property Management Richmond was inspired to work with a local food bank that serves families in need around Central Virginia. Feed More collects, organizes, and distributes food donations to provide healthy meals to 34 counties throughout Central Virginia. Every month, the organization packages and delivers about 1,500 boxes to members of the community in need.
Calvin Davis, the owner-operator of the Richmond office, along with his wife, Ashley, Assistant Property Manager Dustin Cook, and Liz Cane from the corporate office, volunteered to pack food boxes on September 27. Calvin said he was inspired by the Feed More staff and volunteers all hustling hard to achieve a common goal.
“We’ve always had a desire to give back and Feed More is a great cause to get behind,” said Calvin. “Food and water are at the core of how we live, and being a part of providing that basic need to thousands of families is a great feeling. We’ll definitely find more time to contribute to this great cause.”
Central Texas Food Bank – Austin, Texas
The team from Keyrenter Property Management Austin volunteered at the Central Texas Food Bank. This organization is the largest hunger-relief nonprofit in Central Texas. They work with food donors, financial supporters, and volunteers to organize and deliver meals to families in need. Last year, they provided 39 million meals to the community.
Jonathan Sempsrott, the owner-operator of the Austin office, along with team members Kary Smith, Max Hankins, Will Anthony, and Sheila Aronow volunteered to prepare meals on October 8. Every quarter, the office chooses a different nonprofit to support. They organized a team to volunteer at the Central Texas Food Bank to help end hunger in their area.
“We had a great time together,” said Jonathan. “We not only helped provide nutritious food to those in need, but we had a great time bonding as a team!”
Beach Cleanup — South Florida
The Keyrenter Property Management South Florida team organized a beach cleanup on September 27. Working outside and enjoying the beautiful weather was definitely a great way to spend the day giving back to the community. The group of volunteers started near the Juno Beach Pier in Juno Beach and worked their way south, picking up bottles, bits of plastic, and other trash along the way.
“Living in coastal South Florida, the ocean and beaches are our greatest asset,” said Danny Schwab, owner-operator of Keyrenter Property Management South Florida. “I believe strongly in protecting our natural resources. We hope to make the cleanup an annual event and recruit more volunteers to have the biggest impact on improving our community.”
Investing in the community is a core value of Keyrenter. Through Keyrenter Cares, our team members give their time and resources to the communities where they work and live. We are proud to be a company that embodies these values and can’t wait to see what our franchise owners accomplish in 2020!