First Responders play a critical role in our communities by facing difficult and often dangerous situations. They often encounter additional challenges, such as the global pandemic. As most of the world shut down in 2020, we counted on them to remain on the front line to protect us and our communities.

For Palmetto GBA’s most recent Community Impact project, we wanted to recognize and honor first responders' dedication to making our communities better and safer places to live. After reaching out to fire stations in cities where we have offices, we were able to compile a list of items the stations needed. We knew that we could call upon our outstanding employees to fill these requests. Over three weeks, our employees donated items such as protein snacks, water bottles, drink mixes, recreational games, sunscreen, cooling towels, cookware, Tupperware, cleaning supplies, hand towels and much more to fill care packages for fire stations and firefighters in Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, and South Carolina.

We knew that we couldn't stop there, as many employees asked how to support this Community Impact project if they were not near one of the donation offices. To answer this call, we partnered with Operation Gratitude, a non-profit assisting military and first responder heroes nationwide.

Through Operation Gratitude, we created the "Palmetto GBA Hero Challenge" fundraising page and received more than $2,200 in contributions.

“The past year has been challenging for everyone, especially for first responders who have been on the front lines during the pandemic, assisting families and keeping our communities safe. The support from our Palmetto GBA team members was overwhelming. We came together to donate items and funds to support our local fire stations. It's truly humbling to see how we can come together to assist those who help us.” - Joseph Roof, Vice President of Support Operations

This campaign was an overwhelming success and we are excited to be moving that momentum to our third quarter Community Impact Initiative, United Way.