In this season of giving thanks, the team at Lirio wanted to give more—a lot more. An office food drive collected 1,667 food items on behalf of Second Harvest of East Tennessee, partnering with the area’s largest hunger-relief charity in the fight to end hunger.
“This was a great opportunity to support and elevate a terrific organization with deep roots in our community,” said Mike West, Lirio Chairman and CEO and Knoxville native. “We value the work Second Harvest does in serving all the East Tennessee counties, and understood their reach could amplify the impact of our contribution to do the most good for the most people.”
Having participated in the larger office park’s food drive last year as well, the team knew this year they wanted to #DoBetter—the internal office motto and driving force behind the Lirio culture and ethos. Organizers Melissa Tyrrell, Office Manager, and Maggie Kornahrens, Director of Marketing, generated some friendly competition with a bracket-style challenge, dividing team members into six different teams to see who could contribute the most donations.
With a great cause and internal bragging rights established, the donations came pouring in—hundreds just in the first week, well-surpassing last year’s total. As the competition escalated, Team 4 eventually took the lead with over 30 percent of the total contributions. The teams collected vegetables, beans, soup, stuffing, fruit, rice, pasta and other items to donate during their Thanksgiving Potluck, ensuring East Tennessee residents facing hunger and food insecurity could have their own Thanksgiving feast.
“Our team had a lot of fun with this drive, but we also welcomed the opportunity to be part of the larger East Tennessee community,” West said. “It’s reflective of who we are as a company and as individuals and I am thankful to work with such a caring, committed group of people.”
Second Harvest Food Bank operates programs across 18 counties in East Tennessee, reaching every demographic to ensure no one goes hungry. Programs range from summer food for kids to a mobile and school pantry and senior outreach. Without successful food drives, Second Harvest would not have enough food to feed the hungry. Food drives also give the food bank a larger variety of product and can supply items that Second Harvest cannot afford to buy in bulk.
