Coming together during the holidays to support local communities
Throughout December, Driven Brands have supported their local communities by donating toys and food to local charities.
Throughout December, Driven Brands locations have organized events and collected donations of food and toys - to connect with each other and make a difference this holiday season. Below are just a few examples.
CARSTAR locations in Hamilton, Ontario give $3,000 holiday donation to serve children and families in need
Since 2003, CARSTAR Red Deer and CARSTAR Red Deer South have helped children and families in need from the Red Deer, Alberta community. This year is no different. Both locations made their annual contribution to the Red Deer Christmas Bureau and Red Deer Food Bank for their Stuff-a-Bus Campaign, reaching $37,000 in total funds donated since 2003.
“We have been committed to these initiatives for 19 years now and try to do better every year,” says Brian Hemstreet, owner, CARSTAR Red Deer and CARSTAR Red Deer South. “Everyone on the team is more than happy with this year’s results and are here to support the community that has supported us for all these years,” added Clayton Hermary, manager of CARSTAR Red Deer.
This year CARSTAR Red Deer and CARSTAR Red Deer South donated $3,000 and 10 full hampers of supplies to support two organizations in the Red Deer community - The Red Deer Christmas Bureau and The Red Deer Food Bank.
Maaco in Pennsylvania partners with local family services organization for third annual food and toy drive
The holiday season is in full swing - and so is a blustery and cold winter. It’s during this time of year that many families feel the cold and need more than others. Lori Spencer Fantini, one of the estimators at Maaco Penndel in Penndel, Pennsylvania, located between Philadelphia and Trenton, New Jersey, wanted to serve her community’s needs for the third year in a row.
Lori partnered with Bucks County Housing group to gather donations for both the food and toy drives, serving as a drop-off point for both drives. All proceeds go to the Bucks County Housing group, which provides essential aid to the community’s most vulnerable. Running in tandem is Maaco Penndel’s toy drive, organized to help bring smiles to children’s faces on Christmas morning.
“I got involved in the food and toy drives to give back to our community when the pandemic hit,” says Lori. “I could see how much the pandemic affected so many people, and I knew then that we could do something at Maaco Penndel to help. There are so many food pantries out there that need the food, and everyone can help.”
Four Take 5 Oil Change locations in Louisiana collect toys for Shriners Hospital
Giving during the holidays takes on a whole new meaning when you have a personal connection to the cause.
Four Take 5 Oil Change locations in the Shreveport, Louisiana area accepted donations for a holiday toy drive. This is the first year of the toy drive, organized to benefit Shriners Hospital for Children, a hospital and care team that means a lot to both Take 5 Oil Change (Youree Drive location) shop manager, Don Caldwell, and district manager, Dee Jay Richardson. Both Caldwell and Richardson have close family members who have been treated at or underwent procedures performed at Shriners. Caldwell says they wanted to be able to give back after all Shriners has done to care for and take care of both children and parents.
“It turned out better than we ever expected for the first year of the toy drive,” said Caldwell. “We are happy to give back to a place that has given so much to our families and our community.”
CARSTAR locations in Hamilton, Ontario, host second annual toy drive to help families this holiday season
The CARSTAR Torcam group’s, consisting of CARSTAR Brantford, CARSTAR Brantford West and CARSTAR Simcoe, hosted its second annual toy drive with each location serving as a drop-off point. They raised $4,500 worth of gifts to be donated to the Salvation Army in Simcoe and the Salvation Army in Brantford.
In 2021, the CARSTAR Torcam group raised over $3,000 worth of gifts to donate to the Salvation Army in their community.
“Following the success of our first annual toy drive, we were ready to host it again this year and gather even more donations to create a significant impact on the lives of those in our area,” says Sebastian Torres, owner and general manager, CARSTAR Torcam Group. “I couldn’t be more thankful for my team and the community’s willingness to come together and give more than we did last year.”