SVABW/Jeans and Gems

As advocates for programs that help women in all walks of life, we support the Southern Valley Alliance for Battered Women through their annual Jeans and Gems Charity Gala, where we sponsor the photo booth at the event. Additionally, each member of our team can purchase a button for $5, so long as they wear the button, they’re able to wear jeans on Fridays during the month of the event.

For over 35 years, Southern Valley Alliance for Battered Women has provided crisis support, advocacy, and education to victim-survivors of domestic violence.  The journey began with Maxine Kruschke’s passion to assist other women living with domestic violence following her own violent marriage. SVABW has grown into a prevention and solutions focused organization partnering with law enforcement, county legal systems, social services and healthcare providers to make the communities of Scott and Carver counties a better, safer place to live. Our journey continues as we support and empower victim-survivors and their families, and create awareness to End Domestic Violence in our communities.

 

Sharing and Caring Hands

As an organization that’s passionate about leadership development, collaboration and supporting our local communities, our staff chooses many of the organizations we give back to. Sharing and Caring Hands has been a mainstay in our list of charitable causes, and is consistently a top contribution choice for our team. As a proud supporter of this organization, our team manages an in-house donation drive for household items like deodorant and shampoo that we could donate to the programs. Last year, we received over 200 donations for the organization!

Sharing and Caring Hands is a compassionate response to the needs of the poor. They are set up to be a safety-net organization to help with whatever needs are not being met. This includes but is not limited to providing meals, clothing, showers, shelter, transportation help, rent deposits, rent help, medical assistance, dental care, furniture, school expenses, and other miscellaneous needs. Sharing and Caring Hands provides these with dignity, while affirming God’s love for all his people regardless of their circumstances. They reaffirm the self-worth of each individual and want to assist in that person reaching his or her greatest potential.

Sharing and Caring Hands is an extension of the community to the desperate needs of the poor and exists as a vehicle for volunteers to commit their time and resources towards making a difference in the lives of others. Sharing and Caring Hands stands as an emotional anchor and a beacon of hope to those who are alone, afraid, or in need.

 

Shakopee and Prior Lake Public Schools Negative Lunch Account Balances

Our team strives to give back to the community in impactful ways. One way we support local youth is by raising money to pay off negative lunch account balances for students in the Shakopee and Prior Lake public school system. Our staff partners with our local Papa John’s to sell $20 discount cards. All the money we raise goes directly to pay off negative student lunch balances in the district. Last year we raised over $2,200 with the generous support of our staff and our network.

Feeding students healthy, quality meals plays a role in helping students reach their full potential. By paying off negative lunch account balances, we help to ensure that students in our local community continue to have access to healthy foods and can focus on learning without being stigmatized for their parents’ financial situation.

 

Spare Key

A locally founded organization, Spare Key helps families in crisis with critically ill or seriously injured family members through housing grant payment assistance, engaged resource referrals and advocacy. As a company, we’ve partnered with Spare Key in the past to volunteer at their events. We’re thankful for our community-minded staff for their dedication to supporting important organizations like Spare Key with their time!

 

North Pole Express

An annual event that brings holiday trains, festive gifts, and a visit with Santa to youth in Minnesota, we’re proud supporters of the North Pole Express. Our team loves giving back to the community through this organization, volunteering at their annual events in December. Not only do we purchase tickets for our staff and their families to attend, our team volunteers their time to make popcorn and cotton candy for the kids after their train ride. It’s so much fun to spread the holiday spirit while supporting a great cause!

The North Pole Express events support the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America (RHMA), a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote public understanding of the history of railroading in the Midwest. RHMA accomplishes this goal by preserving, restoring, operating and interpreting historic locomotives and rail cars. RHMA got its start in 1991 as the “Friends of the 261 Inc.” a volunteer group that supported the operation of Milwaukee Road 261, a steam locomotive based in Minneapolis, Minn. In 1997 the “Friends” was incorporated as “Railroading Heritage of Midwest America” doing business as the “Friends.” A board of directors with five members manages the organization.

 

Loaves and Fishes

Helping to feed our local communities is something our staff is passionate about. We enjoy helping local organization Loaves and Fishes in their mission to provide free, nutritious meals to the metro area by volunteering with the organization to prepare, serve and clean up meals throughout the year.

Loaves and Fishes serves free, healthy meals to hungry Minnesotans. They offer a variety of meal programs at outlets that include: public dining, street outreach, student meals and snacks, free produce markets, and a new HUB program for small organizations. They grow fresh produce at their own local farm and gardens and rescue leftover, nutritious food from schools, organizations and businesses. They are always guided by a vision that all people, regardless of socioeconomic, cultural, religious or ethnic background, deserve to meet their basic needs for food, dignity and respect. They served a record-breaking 1,000,000 meals in 2018 and expect to serve 1,300,000 healthy meals to food insecure Minnesotans in 2019.