Giving back looks a little different in every community. For our Game Changers Give Back Day, Garmann Miller team members stepped away from their typical day-to-day routines to support nonprofit organizations doing important work across the regions we serve.

Organized by GM’s internal Game Changers committee, Give Back Day gives team members an opportunity to volunteer together while helping meet real needs close to home. This year’s activities ranged from sorting donations and preparing food to maintaining trails, cleaning up parks, and brightening the day for nursing home residents.

Minster and Celina, Ohio

Minster and Celina-based team members served several organizations in west-central Ohio.

• At Agape Ministries in St. Marys, volunteers sorted through donated camping equipment and Christmas trees, checking items to make sure all the necessary pieces were included and ready for their next owners.
• At New Path Outreach in Tipp City, the team helped prepare items for distribution by packing and labeling food delivery boxes and packaging dog food.
• Other team members supported Operation Gratitude, writing letters and creating paracord lanyards for U.S. military service members.
• Volunteers at Rustic Hope in Russia helped organize a variety of donations. The group unloaded boxes, furniture, and other items before sorting clothing, removing damaged pieces, organizing items by size and category, and hanging clothing in the store.

Agape Ministries (top left), New Path Outreach (top right), Operation Gratitude (bottom left), Rustic Hope (bottom right)

Fort Wayne, Ind.

In Fort Wayne, the team performed trail maintenance and invasive plant removal at Little River Wetlands Project, helping care for these natural areas in the historic watershed and just in time for the upcoming Monarch Festival.

Columbus, Ohio

Our Columbus team also spent Give Back Day outside, working with the Columbus Recreation & Parks Department to pick up litter and help keep a local park clean and welcoming.

Little River Wetlands Project (left), Columbus Recreation & Parks Department (right)

Mid-Atlantic Region

The Lancaster, Pa., office volunteered with Blessings of Hope, a nonprofit that collects surplus and donated food that might otherwise go to waste and prepares it for distribution through partner organizations.

The team helped tackle a large donation of carrots, cutting and packaging them so they could make their way to people in need.

Remote

Give Back Day wasn’t limited to our office locations. Remote team member Ashley Minton found a way to make an impact in her own community in Portland, Tenn. Using flowers largely grown in her own garden, she created bouquets and paired them with boxes of homemade baked goods for residents at Signature Healthcare of Portland. She delivered the gifts to the nursing home over the weekend, bringing a little color, something sweet, and a personal touch to residents.

A Shared Purpose

The projects looked different from community to community, but they all shared a common purpose: supporting organizations that make a meaningful difference in the places where our team members live and work. Give Back Day is one way our Game Changers committee brings that commitment to life, and we’re grateful to each organization that welcomed our volunteers and gave us the opportunity to contribute to the important work they do every day.