Saunders & Associates, a firm known for community involvement, announces its 9th annual Thanksgiving Donation Drive. Beginning in 2014 and every year since Saunders has established a strong tradition of giving and support for local food pantries around the East End of Long Island. In 2020 and 2021, donations to the GoFundMe from Saunders agents, staff, and the community totaled over $140,000 after being matched by the company.
The Thanksgiving Drive, helmed by senior Vice President of Operations Colleen Saunders, has been highly successful before and throughout the pandemic. In a typical pre-pandemic year their 5 offices around the Hamptons overflowed with thousands of donations ready to be delivered to those in need. Adapting to the changing community needs due to COVID-19, the Thanksgiving drive shifted to collecting donations online in 2020.
Colleen notes, “Far too many experience food insecurity in the Hamptons, and no family should go hungry. It’s a great cause—helping families share happy holiday memories—and an easy way to support the local community. We thank everyone for their contributions this year and in the past.”
This year their team has organized a GoFundMe campaign to directly collect monetary donations that will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Saunders. One hundred percent of every dollar contributed will go entirely to food pantries in the Hamptons. Steve Glick, Senior VP of Marketing said, “As life for many continues to be impacted by COVID, our efforts to raise money online have been incredibly effective. The biggest win is that cash allows the charity to do what they do best – serve those in need.”
Bolstered by the overwhelming generosity and support from previous years, Saunders’ team anticipates another strong showing this year. Steve ads, “When we first launched our GoFundMe page in 2020, we surpassed our original goal of $10,000 in one week. Our agents and staff and the whole Hamptons community have always supported this cause and we are honored to be able to help. Our target for the drive is to raise more than $80,000 in 2022.”
With a local economy that changes drastically after the summer, food pantries in the Hamptons provide the community with an essential service. Consider volunteering in addition to your donation, charitable organizations are always eager for help, especially around the holidays.
Saunders & Associates invites everyone in the local community to participate in this drive. Please be generous – the need is greater than ever this year. Donations will be divided between the following local organizations from Westhampton to Montauk: Bridgehampton Community Food Pantry; Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center; Church of the Immaculate Conception in Westhampton Beach; East Hampton Food Pantry; Springs Food Pantry; Montauk Food Pantry, Heart of the Hamptons Southampton Food Pantry; Hampton Bays Food Pantry; and Shelter Island Food Pantry.
Please click here to donate and feel free to share the link below with friends and family.
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/hamptonsdonationdrive2022
