IMAGE COURTESY MARINEMAX Marine companies are making a positive difference in their communities across the country this holiday season. Here a few instances of businesses giving back.
In a “Fill the Boat” donation that started in November and concluded last week, MarineMax locations across the country collected toys for distribution by Toys for Tots, and many locations teamed up with local charities to collect food, clothes and other items for families in their communities.
“We take pride each year in ‘filling the boats’ to support Toys for Tots and other local food drives and school supplies drives in our stores throughout the country,” Beth Garland, senior vice president of people strategy for MarineMax told Trade Only Today. “These efforts bring us together as a team, and importantly, help our neighbors. Our efforts to sponsor and build homes and support our Habitat families with annual holiday gifts make a meaningful impact to individuals participating in the Habitat dream of home ownership.”
PHOTO COURTESY MARINEMAXEscoda said that MarineMax’s general managers and regional leadership determine which charities to support that will make the most difference in their location—Toys for Tots, local food banks, kids’ sports teams, shelters, hospitals, and organizations that support school drives throughout the cities where their stores and marinas are located.
“We also share the experiences on our internal employee website so that we can share in the excitement of what our team members accomplish around the country and world,” she said. “We post photos and stories that help us all celebrate the ways our team members are making a positive impact around the holidays and throughout the year.”
PHOTO COURTESY REGULATORRegulator Marine
Edenton, N.C.-based Regulator Marine supports, through a local church, Boxes of Hope, which provides school meals to kids in need. With the Christmas vacation, those kids could face two weeks without food. This year, 300 boxes were being packed and distributed, and Regulator supported the effort with a $25,000 donation. Some Regulator team members attend the church and packed the boxes. Rick Eggerding, vice president of manufacturing, and John Oliver, assembly supervisor, were packing boxes this week.
“Service comes in many forms here at Regulator,” company president Joan Maxwell told Trade Only Today. “We created an initiative called ‘In His Service’ to ensure that we can always dedicate company time and resources to make a difference in the lives of friends, neighbors and those who need it most. Each time I have the privilege of attending an In His Service meeting, I am humbled by the love and concern this team has for their community — and what they are able to accomplish. We always say that service isn’t a give-to-get proposition. Service is an act of love toward our fellow man.”
The In His Service program began in 2018 to focus Regulator’s charitable giving. It’s managed by program coordinator Toni Gibbs. This year, as always, the team also oversaw “Operation Christmas Child,” an ongoing ministry of Samaritan’s Purse. Christmas gifts are collected all over the United States and distributed around the world.
A few months back, Regulator worked with other local businesses, churches and individuals to feed western North Carolinians impacted by Hurricane Helene. Thanks to funding provided by In His Service, Nixon’s Catering prepared and delivered hot meals to 3,000 to 4,000 people in for the Thanksgiving holiday.
PHOTO COURTESY IMTRAImtra
“It fits our mission to be an active member of the community and to use our resources to try and make a difference,” Peter Kilgore, vice president of marketing at Imtra, told Trade Only Today. “Most of us live within a 30-mile radius of New Bedford, Mass., so this isn’t just where we work; it’s home, and these efforts make all of us feel more connected to this community.”
This year’s efforts focused on two activities. First, there was a non-food drive for Damien’s Food Pantry in Wareham, Mass.
“They are an organization that supports the Southcoast community by being the primary source of food for almost 2,000 households in the area,” Kilgore said. “The food comes from the Boston Food Bank and is supplemented by local farms. They’ve identified other areas of need as they’ve grown to know the people who rely on them. Diapers, baby formula, blankets, socks and can openers are common requests. Between Imtra employees and Imtra’s outreach committee, we were able to drop off a pallet of the items in need just before Thanksgiving, so they could be distributed between Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
Imtra’s second holiday effort teams with the New Bedford school system and other local organizations to help children whose families need support in providing gifts to their kids for the holiday season.
“This is something we’ve done for years,” Kilgore said, “and this year, we sponsored 16 kids, the most we’ve ever done. The goal is to get each child six to eight gifts and a stocking. If employees are interested in participating, they can sign up to buy a single gift or as many as they’d like. The gifts then get delivered to the school, wrapped and separated for each child. It’s a significant amount of work, but the Imtra employees love knowing they are helping families in need, and the schools are incredibly appreciative.”
Kilgore said that there’s a belief at Imtra, beginning with the CEO, that a business is a member of the community where they operate. “We have a responsibility to support that community when and where we can,” he said.
“I think we’d have a mutiny if we told them we weren’t doing the child sponsorship. It helps to boost morale. Part of it is the act of giving and helping, but I think it also helps to serve as a reminder of how fortunate we are to have the means to be able to help.”
Irish Boat Shop
The sales crews at Irish Boat Shop locations created boatloads of food to assist their communities during the holiday season, in conjunction with Boston Whaler and The Manna Food Project.
“Irish Boat Shop has a strong commitment to the communities we serve, and that is part of the DNA inspired in our crew from our founder, Dave Irish,” company president Shae Cross told Trade Only Today. “For over 60 years, we have maintained our dedication to Northern Michigan and believe that The Manna Food Project is a good partner, especially during the holiday season, when giving is so important.”
Both groups plan to cooperate again next year and continue contributing to Northern Michigan communities.
