Last week, we celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday by giving back. Thanks in large part to the fine leadership of our President, Jerry Collins, our CEO, David Flaherty and our Vice President of Asset and Property Management, Jill Meals-Herron, community involvement is a big part of our company culture. We put together a food drive with an incentive: the community to gather the most canned goods would receive an extra paid vacation day!

On Tuesday, Nov. 26, Flaherty & Collins Properties donated over 2,600 canned foods to the Mozel Sanders Foundation for the organization’s annual Thanksgiving Day campaign, in conjunction with a $3,000 donation from Vision Communities, Inc., a not-for-profit organization. Many of Flaherty & Collins managed properties participated in the food drive, and those not located in the Indianapolis area are working with local food pantries throughout the holiday season and into 2014 to ensure that families in need receive food and non-perishable items.

These properties include: Dunedin, Millennium Place (Muncie), Vision 1505, Steeplechase at Parkview, The Reserve at Dawson’s Creek, Westwood Crossing, Westlake, Amber Woods, Black Bear Creek, Island Club, and Greenfield Crossing. Several communities are also participating in Toys for Tots, which is organized by the US Marine Corps. Westlake, our contest winner, collected over 1,600 canned goods alone.

“We feel it is important to support our communities and the greater Indianapolis community,” said Jill Meals-Herron. “We’re so proud of the effort of our team to give back to the communities we live and work in.”

In 2012, the foundation served more than 40,000 hot meals to families in need on Thanksgiving Day, in addition to 400,000 pounds of staple goods and groceries. During the Annual Thanksgiving Day campaign, Mozel Sanders solicits help from roughly 3,000 volunteers and 45 satellite sites, which make the mission of providing food and goods to families in need possible.

In addition, nearly 50 Flaherty & Collins employees volunteered Tuesday evening at Amber Woods, located on the far east side of Indianapolis, to help distribute over 900 bags of groceries to those in need. The distribution was in conjunction with Hazel Dell Christian Church in Carmel, which donated the goods and assisted in delivery. It was a great experience, as many volunteers battled a cool night to unload trucks, sort bags of groceries and household items and then assist residents by helping take the bags back to their apartments.

Now, as the calendar has turned to December and with the holidays just around the corner, our communities are working with Toys for Tots to help find some good toys in need of a good home. Thanks for all of our wonderful staff for their giving of time, talent and treasure.