Uniontown, OH – Every year at this time Wayne Homes brings the community together and makes the holidays brighter for those in need. The homebuilder calls it, “Not-So-Random Acts of Kindness.” And the idea is to help a variety of charities in Ohio and Pittsburgh by getting everyone involved: homebuyers, Wayne Homes employees and trade partners; and the general public.
“The slow-moving economic recovery is why, more than ever, people need to pitch in and help local charities,” says Bill Post, Wayne Homes Principal and Chief Operating Officer. “So we just try to make it easier for people to help their fellow humans.”
Each Wayne Homes Model Center becomes a drop-off point for contributions to a selected local charity. Depending on the charity, the public is encouraged to bring everything from clothing and food to school supplies and hygienic products.
The charities benefitting from this year’s drive include The Battered Women’s Shelter of Summit and Medina Counties, Ashland County Toys for Tots, Erie County Children’s Services, Portage County Toys for Tots, The YES Club, Alicia’s Voice, and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
“You’d be surprised how many people really want to contribute,” says Post, “By giving people central drop-off locations and detailed instructions on what to bring, it makes the whole process painless and even fun.”
Wayne customers get into the action simply by buying a home, something they wanted to do anyway. Wayne makes a $100 contribution to the buyer’s charity of choice when the customer signs a contract before the end of the year.
This year, in addition to the annual intra-corporate-office competition to raise money for charity, the departments are engaged in a fierce food-donation-box decorating contest. Holiday box photos can be found on Wayne Homes’ Facebook page and “like” votes will determine the winner. Voting is open to everyone. The winners get pizza.
“Decorating the food collection boxes is just a fun way to get people excited about the food-drive,” says Maurie Jones, Wayne Homes’ Marketing Vice President. “And help get the word out.”
Meanwhile these festive boxes, and many others, are filling with non-perishable food to support OPEN M, the Opportunity for People Everywhere in Need Ministry. OPEN M is a faith-based non-profit that helps people in the Akron area living with minimal resources.
OPEN M’s goal is to collect 2,350 food items: cans of beef stew, peas, pork-and-beans; jars of spaghetti sauce, peanut butter and jelly; packages of hamburger helper, rice dinners, pasta; and staples like bags of sugar and vegetable oil.
Wayne hopes to help them get there.
Information on Model Home Center drop-off locations can be found at WayneHomes.com/not-so-random-acts.
About Wayne Homes
The task of constructing a home from the ground up is made less daunting thanks to Wayne Homes’ four decades of experience, streamlined process and exceptional personal service. They help customers through every step — from home-site prep and financing to choosing from numerous combinations of floorplans, features and finishes. The result is a home of extremely high quality that perfectly suits the homeowner’s needs. Homes range from 1,300 to 3,500 square feet and from the $80s to $200s (plus land cost). Learn more about building a custom, energy-efficient home by dropping by one of the company’s eight model home centers or by visiting WayneHomes.com.
