Each December GreenStone branches boost their holiday spirit by giving back to the local communities through fundraisers, donations, and volunteering. This year, the corporate office staff selected Haven House to support. Haven House is a shelter for local families in East Lansing who face homelessness. They are unique for keeping families together while helping them search for stable housing.
In the past, the East Lansing based GreenStone team has worked with local elementary school children and Toys for Tots for donations, among other organizations. This year, the team select an organization closer to home. Haven House is located a few miles from the corporate office and has a huge impact in the local community.
“They are extremely close to our corporate office, and we’ve had several departments participate in volunteer activities at Haven House in the past, so it was a great option for us,” said GreenStone’s Senior Human Resources Business Partner, Rachel Wood.
Haven House offers ways to donate both virtually and in-person; therefore, it was the perfect opportunity for our hybrid work environment. Those who choose to donate in person, can visit the mitten tree located at the office. Employees can drop off mittens, scarves, gloves, hats, coats and any other items that help families stay warm through the winter, under the tree. For employees who chose to donate virtually, there is an Amazon Wishlist with all of their most needed items.
One of GreenStone’s Core Four Values is “Get Involved”, and that’s exactly what our 35 locations are doing this season! “It’s great to have this opportunity to come together and get involved as a team. We can do things individually for the community, but to come together with a group of people allows us to make such a greater and more significant impact,” explained Rachel. “I’m always amazed by the amount of employees that participate in these donations or volunteer opportunities. When given the opportunity to get involved and donate back to the community, you’ll see a majority of our employees participate, which is pretty amazing!”
To learn more about Haven House and how you too can get involved this holiday season visit Home - Haven House of East Lansing (havenhouseel.org).
For more stories on how our employees give back to the community visit Open Fields Blog | GreenStone FCS.
