 The SceneDeidre Wengen Online Editor, Lodging The hotel industry is a bustling business, and the people involved have plenty of reasons to cel... |
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Concord Hospitality Celebrates Share Day
Considering that the hotel industry is heavily based on the principle of hospitality, it is no surprise that so many brands and companies get involved with charitable projects and community-service activities. And Concord Hospitality, a hotel management and development company based in Raleigh, N.C., has been helping others with its Share Day program for over four years now.
Share Day is a volunteer event that is organized in seven cities in the United States and Canada on an annual basis. Thursday, 250 hotel employees worked to distribute tractor trailer loads containing approximately 20,000 pounds of donated food and sundries at seven Feed the Children (FTC) distribution sites in Toronto, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Houston, West Des Moines, Iowa, Raleigh, and Saddle Brook, N.J.
(Paula Brooks, executive assistant, and Tim Osiecki, EVP development and facilities, from Concord’s corporate offices helping to unload the truck in Raleigh)
Throughout the year, Concord employees raised money to transport the food donations to these distribution sites. To date, Concord has donated more than $300,000 to fund FTC transportation costs.
“We are mindful that, even in two of the world’s wealthiest countries, many families face the day without proper nutrition,” said Mark G. Laport, president and CEO of Concord, in an announcement. “We launched Share Day four years ago to play a role to help address that issue."
This time around, Concord expanded its efforts by also teaming up with Clean the World. Employees at 88 hotels collected unused portions of soap, shampoos, and lotions to donate to the organization, which recycles the products into bars of soap and distributes them to areas where there is a lack or need of hygiene products.
For some Concord employees, the message and spirit of Share Day hits close to home. Tanique Odom, director of sales and marketing for Courtyard Charlotte City Center, tells Lodging that she's had her share of hardships and knows how important it is to give back to those in need.
(Tanique Odom helping out with Share Day in Raleigh, N.C.)
"My family and I have been through a lot and if it hadn’t been for people helping people, I don’t know where I would be,” she says. “One of Concord’s cornerstones is community engagement, and recognizing that it’s not just about us, it’s about having a pulse on the community’s needs and being a part of it. We host the community’s events, their weddings, bar mitzvahs, and corporate meetings. It’s important to be there for people when times are tough, too.”
Odom and her general manager Sherry McWherter drove from Charlotte to Raleigh and spent the night there in order to participate with Concord’s corporate staff in the company’s annual event. They helped distribute food and personal items to local families in the area.
“People who are accustomed to giving often have a hard time receiving or asking for help,” says Odom. “I know that pride gets in the way some times, so if you can give people the help they need and preserve their dignity at the same time, you can really change lives. That’s what Share Day is all about.”
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