Staffers at the Larry H. Miller Dealerships have taken their commitment to be a service to their communities to a new level.
As part of its "Driven to Assist” summer food drive, the company recently delivered and helped disperse some 6,357 pounds of food to the St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix and 1,640 pounds of food to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona in Tucson, collectively enough to cook up some 7,723 meals to individuals and families across the state now suddenly facing food insecurity at least partly brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Knowing food banks are hurting and now with plenty of families struggling and facing food insecurity, we were moved to come together to do this,” company spokesperson Sarah Sturges said. “We’re always committed to giving something back in the communities that we serve. That’s a big part of the foundation of who we are at Larry Miller.”
Over the last two weeks of July, management at the company’s 13 local dealerships encouraged employees and consumers alike to help fill a vehicle with non-perishable food items that were directly steered to families in need. Among the most popular items were peanut butter, canned fruits and vegetables, canned meats (tuna, chicken, beef) and bottled water.
Sturges admits that there were times when things got a bit heated.
“You get a bunch of car dealerships together, where everyone is well briefed in the art of salesmanship and the spirit of wanting to compete can grow,” she said. “But it was all in fun and we’re all proud that all the workers at Larry Miller stepped up to the challenge the way they did. On the final day, we stayed and helped unpack the food and got it packaged in 114 degree heat.”
At the same time, Sturges said the dealership made certain to keep the community fully involved in the process.
“We put out all calls to the community in different ways,” she said. “We wanted the community to get behind this and thought that a community approach was the best way to go.”
Sturges said the giveaway in Arizona follows a similar one in Utah and that both of them played to smashing reviews.
“The people that we work with at food banks were blown away by what we were able to accomplish,” she said. “Everyone walked away feeling good that we were able to do something to help the situation.”
Through its charitable organization, Larry H. Miller has donated more than $1.5 million to qualified nonprofit organizations across Arizona since 1996.
Now in its 52nd year of operations and known as the world’s “First Food Bank,” St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance is a nonprofit organization with at least 745 partners agencies with more than a thousand locations spread across the state that are committed to serving those in need.
Alerts Sign-up