David Weekley Homes Collects Thousands of Meals, Donations During Annual Food Drive
Tampa, FL (December 10, 2019): Nearly 9,300 people locally – and 60,000 nationwide – walked away from the Thanksgiving table with a full belly and a happy heart this year, thanks to the partnership of David Weekley Homes and 18 charities across the U.S. In Tampa, for the fourth year David Weekley Homes teamed up with Feeding Tampa Bay, a nonprofit organization that provides food to food-insecure families in a 10-county area.
“What an amazing team you have at David Weekley Homes!” said Andrea Reece-Kitchen, community engagement manager for Feeding Tampa Bay. “We are so incredibly grateful for this support in the fight against hunger. Because of your efforts, many of our food-insecure neighbors in our 10-county reach will receive hope this holiday season!”
From November 1 – 15, David Weekley Homes hosted its fifth annual companywide Thanksgiving Drive, bringing together its homeowners, real estate agents, vendors, trade partners and team members to collect 150,000 pounds of food for nearly 60,000 people across the country.
“Throughout the drive we collected nonperishable items at our model homes, but on the final day we came together to celebrate,” said Trisha Primiano, sales hostess for David Weekley Homes in Tampa. “Feeding Tampa Bay joined our team members, vendor partners and other donors for a tailgate party and CANstruction competition. It as an awesome experience for our team to see the impact of all the donations in one place and be able to thank our trade partners in person as they dropped off donations.”
Feeding Tampa Bay serves 10 counties in West Central Florida, partnering with more than 600 local food pantries and charities to distribute donated food items to those in need. The organization also offers Mobile Pantries to deliver nutritious food to those who can’t afford transportation. Feeding Tampa Bay has a number of children’s programs to ensure students have healthy meals when school isn’t in session.
To assist Feeding Tampa Bay this year, David Weekley Homes collected approximately 11,000 pounds of nonperishable food items and $2,300 in monetary donations during the two-week drive. The builder also donated an additional $4,000 to enhance Feeding Tampa Bay’s volunteer experience with check-in tablets, stands and printers.
“We are beyond excited,” said Kelley K. Sims, chief development officer for Feeding Tampa Bay. “Just this week our volunteer experience was named ‘Best Place to Volunteer’ in Tampa Bay by Creative Loafing magazine. We’ve grown more than 30% year over year and, as you can imagine, additional equipment and tools are in great need for our volunteers. This gift could not have come at a better time.”
The Thanksgiving Drive is a volunteer and philanthropic initiative of the company’s CARE program, which allows the extended David Weekley Homes family to live out its purpose of Building Dreams, Enhancing Lives in each of the communities in which it builds.
“It’s truly a blessing to be able to give willingly and help a great cause like Feeding Tampa Bay,” said Diane Walker, lead sales consultant for David Weekley Homes in Tampa. “I’m elated to be a part of David Weekley Homes and these efforts.”
About Feeding Tampa Bay
Feeding Tampa Bay, part of the national Feeding America network, focuses on providing food to the hundreds of thousands of food-insecure families in the 10-county area of West Central Florida. Each year, they distribute more than 50 million meals to those struggling with hunger through their partnership with more than 600 local charities and food pantries.
About David Weekley Homes
David Weekley Homes, founded in 1976, is headquartered in Houston and operates in 20 cities across the United States. David Weekley Homes was the first builder in the United States to be awarded the Triple Crown of American Home Building, an honor which includes “America’s Best Builder,” “National Housing Quality Award” and “National Builder of the Year.” Weekley has also appeared 13 times on FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For®” list. Since inception, David Weekley Homes has closed more than 90,000 homes. For more information about David Weekley Homes, visit the company’s website at www.davidweekleyhomes.com.