Vision-e Cares: Local Families Get Back to School Supplies

Vision-e
Vision-e
Aug 23, 2017 · 4 min read

“Hunger never sleeps.” That’s what Martha Bennett, Director of Operations at Greer Soup Kitchen said when the Vision-e team visited the non-profit organization that serves over one hundred and fifty meals per day for the community of Greer with complete reliance on donations from private citizens, churches and businesses.

However, Martha, and the team at Greer Soup Kitchen, know that hunger is only one of the problems existing in our community, which is why they go far beyond feeding the hungry.

Their purpose is to “provide ministry in the form of services including, but not limited to, providing a soup kitchen, providing a place of refuge, and in general rendering to the needs of the destitute, desperate, and/or troubled persons.”

That’s why the organization also provides a shelter called Greer STEP Shelter to Empower People — for the homeless.

When the team at the local Greer Vision-e branch reached out to volunteer some hands in the kitchen, Martha instead identified a more pressing need existing among the STEP community: school supplies.

As the cost for going back to school (supplies, electronics, clothes, etc.) soars, the poor are the ones feeling the impact the most.

Experts say school districts now have less money for supplies, forcing them to rely more on parents for items such as markers and construction paper, cleaning supplies, tissues, copy paper and printer ink. While this is a hassle for middle-class parents, it’s a much bigger burden for poor families, who already struggle just to outfit their own kids for school. -NBC News

As a way to help relieve this burden, the team at the Greer Vision-e branch worked together to gather school supplies for the families currently living in the Greer STEP community.

Vision-e has a strong culture of giving back to the community where they live and work, as part of the Salesforce 1:1:1 model to leverage technology, people, and resources to improve communities around the world and to help spark a worldwide corporate giving revolution.

So, when the team realized there was an opportunity to give in a unique way, they jumped right in and got to witness first hand some of the amazing work that local organizations, like Greer Soup Kitchen, are already doing in the community.

“Getting to meet Martha, it was inspiring to see how very passionate she and her team are about the work they do at Greer Soup Kitchen and the service they provide to the people who need assistance everyday,” said Rux, Vision-e Account Executive. “It is incredible to know that people in our community have somewhere to go if they are going through tough times and that we get to be a part of that in a small way.”

Vision-e bags were filled with Clorox Wipes, Dry Erase Markers and Erasers, №2 Pencils, Boxes of Tissue, Glue Sticks and Vision-e pens to help families send their kids off to school without having to worry about the burden of buying school supplies.

What felt like only a small gesture, was a huge impact to the families in need and a testament to the Vision-e team about the importance of giving.

“In our eyes, we wanted to be able to help more, but the impact a few supplies had on these families was more helpful than we could have ever imagined,” said Jonathan, Vision-e Strategic Partner Manager. “I’ve volunteered at soup kitchens since I was about 4-years-old. My dad was the one who instilled in me the priority of volunteering as a way to get perspective and realize it’s vital to existence for us all to help each other out.”

In continuing a culture of giving back time, resources and skills, the team at Vision-e has been able to witness some incredible stories, events and organizations. The team is proud to work along side organizations like Greer Soup Kitchen and Greer STEP to help make the community a better place for all.

“Visiting by yesterday and donating school supplies was very moving because I got to see what a massive impact one little act of kindness can do for my community,” said Brett, Vision-e Software Engineer. “It’s definitely contagious and I can’t wait to help out again.”

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