Looking for a way to get more involved with the local community? Move for Hunger is a nonprofit that connects you, your residents, and your local food bank. Move for Hunger partners with the American Moving and Storage Association to get nonperishable food into the hands of those in need. Before relocating, residents coordinate with their moving company to deliver unwanted goods to local food banks. To date, the organization has transported more than 11,479, 245 pounds of food to food banks. The donations created 9,566,038 meals for people facing food insecurity. You and your residents can get in on the giving! Arranging a Move for Hunger Donation Setting up a Move for Hunger donation is incredibly simple. First, residents must find a participating professional mover. There are more than 1,000 to choose from across the United States. (And since residents are relocating, anyway, this step is super practical.) The residents and the mover will set up their moving date. While the residents are packing their belongings, they set aside the nonperishable items that they’d like to donate. On the day of the move, the mover will transport the nonperishable food to the nearest local food bank. Benefits for Residents Residents are looking for a way to quickly and easily clean out their unit. Move for Hunger helps them do just that. • All the food that they can’t eat before the move is relocated, rather than tossed in the trash. Donating the unwanted food requires no additional legwork for residents. • The food pick-up may potentially minimize the cost of the move! By donating items in the fridge, pantry, and cabinets there will be fewer boxes to move while residents are being charged. Benefits for You! By promoting Move for Hunger, you’re doing...

In September 2018, Hurricane Florence left disaster in its wake. Low-lying towns along the South Carolina and North Carolina coasts received the worst of the damages. In the months to come, the storm would unite the region in one of its darkest hours. Hurricane Florence dumped 30-36 inches of rain on the region in two days. The rainfall caused catastrophic flooding. Cape Fear River, which runs nearly 200 miles from the Atlantic to Wilsonville, crested 62 feet. Nearby rivers and creeks also flooded, submerging homes, destroying businesses and washing out two interstates. About 350, 000 people were without power in North Carolina. At least 43 people lost their lives in storm-related events. Following the bleak aftermath came a surge of hope. Assistance poured in from throughout the nation, with the strongest concentration of aid coming from neighboring states. Food, clothing, and supplies began to make their way to those in need. On the ground, Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina (FBCENC) and its 100 partner agencies were among the first to channel the aid and help communities recover. Volunteer Services Coordinator Michael McKay said, “You see an outpouring of love at this time, during a disaster. It’s amazing that we see so many people here to help out.” FBCENC set up more than 85 contact points in the hardest hit areas. “We’re going to be here for you,” said Michael Cotten, Branch Director at FBCENC. “The Food Bank is a first responder and we’re going to be here in the long term.” Yardi corporate contributed funds to FBCENC to support relief programs. “While the efforts are far from over, we have been able to provide more than 5.5 million pounds of food and supplies to our neighbors over the past two months...

The second annual Santa Barbara Gives! (SB Gives!) is now underway. This holiday fundraiser and competition is a fun way to unite local donors and nonprofits. When their efforts are combined, Santa Barbara thrives. So, What’s This All About? SB Gives! aims to motivate philanthropy by highlighting innovative nonprofits. Readers can explore the nonprofits’ missions on the SB Gives! website. Once inspired, readers are encouraged to donate to their nonprofit(s) of choice. Of course, a little friendly competition keeps things interesting. SB Gives! features a leaderboard to show which nonprofit has raised the most funds to date. Donations are tracked in real time! What’s the Skinny on EqualiTech? Among the noteworthy nonprofits stands EqualiTech, the brain child of math teacher Danny Fitzgibbons. Through his studies and career, he learned of the disparity that occurs between children with early access to technology and those without. Learning gaps are evident as early as kindergarten. Fitzgibbons wanted to create a program that provided access to critical technologies regardless of socioeconomic status. Today, EqualiTech makes technology accessible to residents of Goleta and nearby neighborhoods. The organization aims to improve computer literacy by providing public computer access at Goleta Valley Tech Center. The site is staffed by a bilingual manager and instructor who is available to answer questions and work one on one with patrons who need help. At the center, students learn basic computer skills such as typing, navigating a computer, and creating and managing an email account. Students can also receive help with special projects like website design and resolving hardware issues. Students’ time at EqualiTech is meant to be fun and practical. Naturally, students learn how to keep in touch with loved ones via social media. Of equal importance, they learn tips and tricks on how to...

Each day, millions of kids rely on the National Breakfast and Lunch Programs. More than 11.6 million free breakfasts and 20 million free lunches help students reach their potential on school days. Such meal assistance is not available to kids in need on weekends. That’s when the Inter-faith Food Shuttle lends a helping hand. Transforming “Waste” Into Meals Inter-faith Food Shutter is an innovative nonprofit based in Raleigh, N.C. The organization disrupts the standard American food cycle, which is rife with waste. More than 40 percent of food that is grown and processed never makes it to families’ tables. Up to 75 percent of produce, for example, is sent to the trash simply because of its appearance. Rather than throwing away more 6 million pounds of local food, Inter-faith Foo d Shutter reroutes the groceries to homes in need. Food is procured from 350 donors including retail donations, volunteer food drives, commercial field gleaning, and the nonprofit’s teaching farm. Yardi Raleigh Preps Meals for Kids Backpack Buddies, an Inter-faith Food Shuttle program, uses rescued food to feed Raleigh’s youth. The program provides 10-12 pounds of food to children from low-income households. The nutritious food is intended to help children through the weekends when free school meals are not available. Each Backpack Buddies bag includes enough food for six meals and two snacks: two proteins, two vegetables, one fruit, two packs of noodles, two milks, one 100% fruit juice and two snacks. Local volunteers help to stuff the backpacks for delivery. Yardi Raleigh rose to the challenge. The Help Desk community service crew turned their team outing into a volunteer opportunity. Volunteers included Ashley Godshalk, Brian Baker, Doug Thompson, Elliott Arnold, Kelly Haygarth, Michelle Gardner, Nick Gennaro, Rashida Lassiter, Utica Cason and Yolanda Eaton. “Team work...

Earlier this month, Team Yardi Australia headed to Bondi in Sydney. Switching out their laptops and phones for kitchen knives and potato peelers, the team spent the afternoons volunteering at Our Big Kitchen (OBK). OBK is about more than food, it’s a community kitchen with a soul. Created in 2000, its designed to help those in need; whether they’re going through a hard time, need a hand getting started, or are just looking for a place that provides a warm and nurturing environment. It aims not just to provide a community to its volunteers, but to help look after the millions of Australians going hungry every day. Despite being “the lucky country,” 2.2 million people in Australia go without food every year. Of those, tens of thousands come from New South Wales. OBK is on a mission to help those people, working closely with organisations such as SecondBite and Foodbank to minimize food waste and turn fresh produce into a home cooked meal. These meals are then distributed to the homeless and to regional shelters, including refuges for women and children, domestic violence shelters, asylum seekers, and more. Last year, OBK distributed over 80,000 meals to those in need. “The experience  gave all the people involved a sense of reality of how good a lot of us have it in life. Giving a little bit of our time helped 200 people that day. I recommend everyone gives a little to people in need, just like we did. It was a truly uplifting experience,” said Brook Baker, regional director, Australia and New Zealand sales. For the Yardi team, the afternoons represented an opportunity to give back, whilst learning more about the darker side of the city they live in. George Karounis, founder of OBK,  shared...

The Yardi Raleigh TKO group recently participated in a notable local event to raise awareness and research funds for mental illness: the 30th annual Thad and Alice Eure Walk for Hope. Team members who walked for the cause were Blair Kramer, Sean Bryant, Pam Davison, Karen Gibson, Jim Hill, Mimi Hill, Trevor Hyde, Chuck Justice, Kimberly Wood, Victoria Parsons, Travis Taliaferro and Rich Stevenson. The group raised $2,583 to contribute to the Walk for Hope Foundation. Founded by a well-known Raleigh family after their son was diagnosed bipolar disorder, The Walk for Hope Foundation has awarded 139 scientific research grants totaling more than $5.7 million. These funds have leveraged an additional $145 million from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH) and other federal agencies. The TKO team’s participation in the walk has a personal and professional connection. “We lost a co-worker to suicide and the office was stunned. No one knew there was a mental health issue. Since that time, we have worked hard to support one another and have found that supporting causes like the Walk for Hope and the Foundation of Hope is a great way to support our community and help reduce the stigma that is unfortunately still attached to mental illness,” explained Kimberly Wood, a P2P Consultant on the team. “We reach out to one another when we sense someone is struggling. The Walk for Hope is a fun event, but it is rooted in very strong memories of Tim Owens, who we still miss to this day.” Learn more about the Walk for Hope Foundation and their year round events to fundraise for mental illness research. Yard is Energized for Good! Learn more about the company’s philanthropic and volunteer efforts around the U.S. and the world...

For 44 years, Santa Barbara-based Surgical Eye Expeditions (SEE) International has been providing restorative eyesight care around the globe. The non-profit organization, founded by local ophthalmologists in 1974, relies on volunteers, grants and donors to make its important work of reducing preventable blindness possible. And as it heads toward 50 years, SEE is endeavoring to treat more patients than ever before. “There are 36 million people in the world who are blind, up to 75 percent of those are blind from preventable conditions,” said Matt Wheeler, vice president of communications for SEE. “One of the major problems is that 80 percent of these people are living in areas of the world where access to care is not available.” Cataracts, one of the leading causes of blindness, can often easily be treated – but patients must have access to qualified ophthalmologists who can perform a simple surgery. Partnering with local ophthalmologists in every region where they work, SEE volunteers made 250 trips to over 40 countries this year, and performed 40,000 sight restoring surgeries. Volunteer doctors pay for all of their own travel and housing expenses and receive no pay for their work. By 2020, SEE aims to perform 100,000 surgeries a year. In the course of the organization’s existence, volunteers have conducted 4 million eye exams and performed a half million surgeries. Other work includes training regional doctors on cataract surgery techniques, providing supplies for clinics that don’t have access to proper materials, and conducting preventative eye exams in impoverished areas. In assessing the support it has received from corporate sponsors over the years, SEE staff realized that one Santa Barbara-based company was unique in terms of longevity and generosity of support – and happened to be a close neighbor, too. “Our leadership was...

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Santa Barbara County’s Domestic Violence Solutions (DVS) has planned weekly events to bring this societal epidemic out of the shadows and into the light.   Candlelight vigils to bring attention to the prevalence of domestic violence across America are set for Lompoc (Oct. 11), Santa Maria (Oct. 18) and Santa Barbara (Oct. 25). Since its start in 1977, DVS has aimed to educate the public while creating a pathway of hope for those who experience domestic abuse firsthand. It is Santa Barbara County’s only full-service domestic violence agency, committed to ending the cycle of domestic violence through prevention and intervention services. With support from state and federal funds, grants and corporate and private donations, DVS provides the county’s only 24-hour shelter service, as well as the county’s only transitional housing program for domestic violence survivors. To fully illustrate its impact and the need for such services in Santa Barbara County, in 2017 DVS: Answered almost 5,000 calls to its 24-hour crisis and information lines Provided 4,687 safe nights to victims of domestic violence Responded to over 472 calls from law enforcement and emergency rooms at the victims’ location Participated in 244 educational and outreach events throughout the community Sheltered as many children as adult victims of domestic violence The Yardi Foundation is a longtime support of DVS’ work to help domestic violence survivors and their families get back on their feet, and educate the community at large about how to stop the pervasive cycle of violence. “We’re very grateful for the support we’ve gotten from Yardi. They’re a wonderful Santa Barbara company and we truly appreciate their contributions,” said DVS executive director Jan Campbell, the former chief philanthropic officer of the Santa Barbara Foundation. Campbell, who took...

Yardi’s corporate culture includes a focus on community service. In the Yardi Boise office, a team of employees focused professionally on the senior living product suite decided to bring that value to life by participating in two local efforts aimed at combating hunger. First, staff partnered with Metro Meals on Wheels to serve 80 seniors in the community. Since many of the elders that benefit from Meals on Wheels are homebound and unable to prepare their own food, they rely on meal delivery as their primary source of nutrition. The Boise office team was happy to help with distributing food, cleaning, and socializing with seniors. Metro Meals on Wheels serves meals to nearly 1,000 Boise senior citizens each weekday and over 700 each weekend. Inspired by their work with Meals on Wheels, the team sought a new philanthropic challenge, this time joining with the Idaho Foodbank. The independent non-profit organization is entirely donor supported and is the largest food bank and distributor of free food assistance in Idaho. One in seven Idahoans are in need, and the food bank is making strides to not only provide meals but to promote healthy, locally-sourced foods. In fact, three quarters of the food distributed by the Idaho Foodbank is fresh or fresh frozen versus shelf stable, up from just fifty percent six years ago. So when the organization was hosting a food drive, the Yardi staff was excited to participate. This time, they volunteered to put together meals for the federally sponsored Seniors’ program and gathered donations of juice, cereal, milk and eggs into individual meal boxes. In all, the 60 employees assembled 15 palettes of meals, estimated to contain an amazing 14,000 pounds of food, to be distributed to local seniors. That’s more than enough to...

Staff at the Yardi Milton Keynes office are cleaning out their home pantries. But they’re not checking for expiration dates—they’re collecting items for the Milton Keynes Food Bank. Located in Buckinghamshire, about an hour northwest of London, the Yardi UK office employs over sixty team members, and they hope to make a big impact. As part of Yardi’s philanthropy program, the UK team started a charity committee. They sent out a survey to gather feedback and decide which charities to support as a team. The group wanted to keep things local and at first chose a handful of organizations to contribute to. But after the initial charity drive, members of the team had a desire to get involved with something a bit more hands-on. Hannah Holmes and Martin Gedny from the marketing team took a trip to the local food bank. Both learned a great deal about the types of people who benefit from the organization. “It was such an insightful experience that we decided to get involved, and at the very least, set up a donation box,” said Hannah Holmes, marketing associate. “The collection has been a massive hit, and it’s just a start. We want to also encourage team members to get down there and volunteer as well,” said Martin Gedny, senior manager, EMEA marketing. The Milton Keynes Food Bank, recipient of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, aims to educate locals about the realities of hunger in the area. Long believed to be an issue only in developing countries, hunger is a very real threat; even in prosperous communities, many families live on the edge of poverty. And since the food bank relies entirely on contributions from local schools, churches and businesses, every donation counts. Each week, the team checks the...

Established in 2016, Oak City Soccer provides active, hands-on programming to help children with autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, and anxiety. Through activities, particularly soccer,  youth improve motor functions, establish social skills, and experience fun and acceptance in a team setting. The program has changed the lives of hundreds of children living in Cary and Wake Forest, North Carolina. Yardi Raleigh recently formed a relationship with Oak City Soccer that has been inspiring and uplifting Answering the Call The relationship began during the Yardi Cares Committee’s annual request for grant nominations. Each year, Yardi offices around the world receive a sum of funds to allocate the local non-profit organizations. “When the Yardi Cares Committee asked for suggestions for organizations to support, I immediately thought of Oak City Soccer,” says Thomas Duncan, Technical Account Manager, Residential NC – Consulting Practice 2 at Yardi. “They are also local to our Yardi Raleigh office and I really wanted to help out some local charities in addition to larger, state-wide charities.” After reviewing the nomination and researching the organization, the committee casted its votes. Oak City Soccer joined the league of grant recipients for the year! Yardi’s donation supported the expansion of Oak City Soccer to a second location, expanding from Cary to Wake Forest. Additionally, the funds provided scholarships to low-income families, as well as the replacement of worn out supplies such as soccer balls, new therapeutic tools, and visual cues. Roxy Shelley, Executive Director of Oak City Soccer, received the donation on behalf of Oak City Soccer. “Thanks so much to Thomas for the nomination, and Yardi for the amazing support this past year. We are truly grateful!” More than a Game Shelley has witnessed the way that the Oak City Soccer impacts kids on a...

Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) offers microenterprise development services to female entrepreneurs in California’s Central Coast. Trainees receive self-employment training through a proprietary curriculum and loans that enrich the diversity of businesses and opportunities in the area. WEV has helped more than 6,500 clients jump start 4,000 businesses. More than $4 million in loans have supported the dreams of borrowers who do not qualify for conventional products. These combined forces have created about 8,000 local jobs. In addition to WEV’s work in the Santa Barbara area, the organization has extended some of its services to women in Texas, Hungary, Nepal, Amman, and Jordan. While great strides have been made since the inception of WEV in 1991, there is still a lot of work to be done to reach economic parity. WEV’s Business Recovery Specialist Nicki Pharr explains, “Women currently own about 38 percent of all businesses, but they generate only 25 percent of the annual revenues as their male counterparts. 71 percent of woman-owned businesses generate less than $25,000 in annual receipts and only 1.8 percent reach a million dollars in annual sales.” Research suggests that confidence and access to capital are two of the main reasons why women fall behind. Pharr says, “Women start businesses with roughly half the capital as men. A growing body of research indicates that confidence is as important as competence as a determinant of success and women exhibit much less confidence than men. We need to close the confidence gap so women don’t opt out of competitive but lucrative opportunities to start scalable businesses in male-dominated fields, and we need to continue to help women acquire the business acumen and skills they need to grow bigger businesses.” WEV in Action Pharr has known that she wanted to connect with WEV ever since...

When James Boyd joined the staff of CAPSA (Citizens Against Physical & Sexual Abuse) in Utah’s Cache Valley and began wearing a nametag that publicly declared his affiliation with the organization, he learned a distressing truth: far more people than he could ever imagined had suffered rape, sexual abuse or domestic violence. People he knew as friends, neighbors, even members of his own family suddenly felt safe to share their experiences with him. “It happens way more than we realize. Statistics say one in four women and one in seven men will experience a violent or abusive relationship in their lifetimes. The incident rates are that high, and no one ever talks about it,” said Boyd, who serves as development director for the organization. Founded in the 1970s and based in Logan, Utah, CAPSA has a long history of acting as a support and advocacy network for abuse victims. The organization originated with a focus helping those who had been victims of rape. Today, awareness and assistance is most frequently needed for those suffering domestic violence. “Each year we help almost 1,500 individuals, shelter as many as 400 children, men and women. Our services include things like emergency shelter to get out of a dangerous situation, or short-term housing while they find a job and a new place to live. We have therapists who specialize in healing from the trauma associated with domestic violence and abuse. Our advocates who go to court with our clients. Our goal as an organization is to help people get out of dangerous situations and start the healing process,” Boyd said. The organization is very proud to be the first shelter in Utah to never turn away victims seeking a place to stay due to violence at home. If...

The End Hunger Games have been a Foodbank of Santa Barbara County tradition for five years. This winter holiday campaign adds a dose of friendly competition to local corporate philanthropy. Each year, 10-15 corporate teams compete to be crowned as the biggest givers. Yardi has participated in the End Hunger Games since its inception. “We use Yardi activities as examples to inspire the other teams to go above and beyond,” says Nathalie Keller, Corporate Giving Manager at the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County. “They have several teams within the company. They volunteer regularly, donate food, post on social channels, and plan events like their holiday boutique and company party to benefit the Foodbank.” Yardi emerged as the victor of the fifth annual End Hunger Games, followed closely by other fine local organizations: First place: Yardi – Total Points: 1466 Second place: Evidation Health  – Total points: 1457 Third place: FastSpring – Total Points: 1327 The vast outpouring of corporate support, coupled with donations from the community, could not have come at a better time. The Thomas Fire, one of the largest and costly in the state’s history, caused widespread dislocation and loss of property. For the Foodbank, the efforts to provide for daily community food needs were made even more challenging by this disaster. Keller explains, “Children and families experienced increased food insecurity during this time of crisis. Many were unable to work because businesses had shut down or reduced work hours during the emergency. This meant that hourly employees faced sudden loss of wages. Owners of businesses connected to tourism and recreation, along with service providers and vendors, experienced immediate loss of income.” As soon as the UCSB American Red Cross shelter opened, the Foodbank began providing food, water and snacks to evacuees. Two...

Yardi Boston recently participated in a Garden Party project at Somerville Village that will bring therapeutic and educational resources to young women in transitional housing. The project reflects how humble beginnings can be transformed into spectacular endings. About Somerville Village Somerville Village is a collaboration between Focus and The Home for Little Wanderers. The former is a Massachusetts-based non-profit that advocates and supports affordable housing as well as services for its residents. The latter offers programming to strengthen vulnerable families and keep children safe in their communities. Together, the organizations launched Somerville Village, transitional housing and programing to help young women who have aged-out of The Home for Little Wanderers yet need additional assistance to pursue higher education. Somerville Village is a two-story house with 15 bedrooms, five bathrooms, a kitchen and several communal spaces. Residents have easy access to public transportation, allowing them to commute to their post-secondary classes. In addition to housing, Somerville Village also provides access to therapeutic and educational support for residents as they take additional steps towards independence. The Garden Party When Yardi Boston team members arrived at Somerville Village, they found a lovely home with one aesthetic flaw: an underused side yard in serious need of attention. The organization wanted to transform the space into an educational and functional garden. Yardi was there to help. Rick Houpt, Development, The Home for Little Wanderers, explains, “The Yardi team absolutely transformed a dreary, black-padded side-yard into a cheerful educational and therapeutic space: a garden of raised beds for vegetables, herbs, and flowers.” The garden is an educational opportunity because the women of Somerville Village will have the chance to learn about nutrition, gardening, and growing food. The resource can help them take better care of bodies and minds, reaping the...

California faces a dramatic shortfall of college-educated workers. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, by 2030, the state will be more than a million bachelor’s degrees short of what its innovation economy requires to thrive. In other words, if every college and every university in the state of California continues to graduate students at the current rate, the state will still be more than 1 million degrees short of what employers need. California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) is positioned to help meet the needs of the state’s growing economy. The university has committed to addressing that shortfall by serving a largely first generation, underserved student population. CSU Channel Islands’ Solution “CSUCI is about access to education. We believe that we play a pivotal role in equity and social mobility for vulnerable populations with in our region, state, and our nation,” says Nichole Ipach, Vice President for University Advancement. The large majority of the university’s populations come from first generation, underserved, low-income, and underrepresented groups. Such populations are critical to filling the state’s need for college-educated workers. “Serving these populations is at the heart of our mission at CSUCI. In fact, CSUCI was ranked 18th in the nation for social mobility just this year,” says Ipach. The student population at CSUCI is 50 percent Hispanic, where 60 percent are the first generation in their families to go to college. About 80 percent of students are qualified for financial aid, creating tremendous social mobility opportunities for graduates. Student Focus Leads to Statewide Success George Leis, the President of Montecito Bank and Trust and the currently the CSUCI Foundation Board Chair, has been a proud member of the CSUCI Foundation Board for almost 10 years. Over that time, he watched the university change the lives of...

Yardi client Prologis is the presenting sponsor of the Courage Classic Bicycle Tour, a mult-day cycling event set for July 21-22 that raises money for Children’s Hospital Colorado. In 9 years of sponsorship, Prologis has raised $2 million for the hospital’s foundation. Yardi is proud to support fundraising efforts for this important cause by making a donation in support of the event each year. This July, Prologis has gathered a team of 100 riders with a goal of raising $150,000 for the hospital. The ride takes place from a base of the Copper Mountain Resort in Vail, Colo, elevation 9,750 feet. Participants chose from routes of around 80 or 40 miles on each of the two days. Shorter routes are available to families bringing children to participate. “The Courage Classic provides a great bonding experience and a unique opportunity to spend time with colleagues and business partners from around the world,” shared the Prologis marketing team. A global logistics real estate company, Prologis has over 1,600 employees in 19 countries. Yardi software helps facilitate the company’s partnership with the world’s major manufacturing and distribution companies. “Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation is so grateful for the partnership with Prologis as our Presenting Sponsor of the Courage Classic Bicycle Tour. This event wouldn’t be what it has become today without their commitment,” said Emily Kotas, Senior Manager, Corporate Partnerships for Children’s Hospital Colorado. Learn more about the...

Before you discard an empty shoebox or a duplicate Happy Meal toy, think again. Those seemingly small items can go a long way toward promoting health and happiness for women and children in need. The Shoebox Project is a program hosted by the United Way. A few weeks before Mother’s Day each year, United Way delivers shoeboxes filled with essential items to women in homeless shelters, often mothers. The shoeboxes are filled and wrapped by volunteers. Yardi Atlanta has participated in the Shoebox Project for as long as anyone in the office can remember. It’s a year-long process. Employees contribute a variety of supplies such as toiletries, feminine hygiene products, first aid supplies, small toys, crayons, ponchos and socks. Then at the end of April, the supplies culminate into one large donation. Marilyn Duffield, Residential Project Manager, Client Services at Yardi explains the process once the items are collected: “We setup a conference room for people to stop by at their convenience—on lunch, between calls, at the end of the day—to wrap a shoebox or two, fill it with items from our stock-pile, and place a rubber band around it. We also collect monetary donations to use for wrapping paper or to buy more of an item that we need,” says Duffield. The versatility of the shoebox project allows all employees to get involved. Volunteers donate time, money, or items. Employees are encouraged to get creative with low- or no-cost options by bringing in extra hotel soaps or free toothbrushes from the dentist. When the 2018 project ended, Yardi delivered 115 boxes to the United Way. The donations completely filled Duffield’s car. “It is a feel-good project that reaches women and children all over Metro Atlanta,” smiles Duffield. “It’s such a great way to...