“Our Community Is” Covid Relief Giving Campaign
A LOOK BACK AT THE PALMISANO FOUNDATION’S 12-WEEK “OUR COMMUNITY IS” COVID RELIEF GIVING CAMPAIGN
Upon receiving 501c3 designation, the Palmisano Foundation, the charitable arm of Palmisano LLC, jumped into action to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic with a 12-week relief effort spanning March 27th to June 26th, 2020.
“Community comes in many forms. We’re committed to building a better, healthier one for this new normal,” said Palmisano President & Floor Sweeper, Wesley Palmisano, in March. “For the next three months, the Palmisano Foundation will be partnering with local organizations who are at the forefront of the ongoing COVID-19 response work in our community.”
The response, dubbed “Our Community Is,” included 18 giving activities and partnerships with local organizations including The Blood Center, PlayBuild, Son of a Saint, Project Butterfly, Mid City Ministries, Grow Dat Youth Farm, Liberty’s Kitchen, Second Harvest Food Bank of South Louisiana, New Orleans Creative Response, United Way of Southeast Louisiana, HandsOn Entergy Volunteer Center, and ACE Scholarships.
These partnerships were accompanied by bi-weekly lunches purchased from local restaurants to support the local food service industry, and delivered to Palmisano’s team and trade partners on active jobsites.
BY THE NUMBERS
THE RELIEF EFFORTS
In total, the Foundation spearheaded 18 individual giving activities. Below is a breakdown of what these activities entailed:
ACE SCHOLARSHIPS
In April, the Palmisano Foundation partnered with Ace Scholarships, a nonprofit organization that awards scholarships to students from low-income families to be able to attend the college of their choice, by sending messages of encouragement from Palmisano team members to students in support of their accomplishment of graduating during a time when ceremonies and milestone celebrations are being postponed or cancelled due to the Covid-19.
HANDS ON NEW ORLEANS
On May 14th, the Foundation teamed up with United Way of Southeast Louisiana’s HandsOn New Orleans program to to prepare meal kits for local senior citizens. In total, our team of volunteers was able to pacakge 2500 meals that will ensure food security for over 300 senior residents for 4 days.
NEW ORLEANS CREATIVE RESPONSE
We believe in the power of creativity to foster bold new ideas that drive change – just one of the reasons why the Palmisano Foundation was thrilled to partner with New Orleans Creative Response and Antenna Works to distribute stay-at-home creative activity kits to New Orleans youth.
On May 20th, our team of volunteers worked with the organization to distribute 1,200 kits at 7 New Orleans schools in conjunction with family nutrition programs.
Additionally, the Foundation sponsored the production of one week’s worth of construction-themed Creative Response Kits designed by local artists.
THE BLOOD CENTER
40 generous donors participated in the Palmisano Foundation blood drive on May 29th at our 1730 Tchoup HQ, held in partnership with The Blood Center.
These donations of both blood and red blood cells went directly towards supporting a network of local hospitals and health organization’s, in-turn helping to save lives in our community.
GIVE NOLA DAY
On June 2nd, AKA the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s #GiveNOLADay 2020, the Palmisano Foundation donated $3,000 to support 6 organizations working tirelessly to empower disadvantaged youth by providing education, mentorship, and opportunity.
These organizations include Project Butterfly, Son of a Saint, PlayBuild NOLA, Grow Dat Youth Farm, Mid-City Ministries, and Liberty’s Kitchen.
SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK
One in five households in Louisiana is at a risk of hunger, an issue that the Covid pandemic has made even more pressing. The Second Harvest Food Bank of South Louisiana is leading the fight against hunger by providing food access and support to 700+ community partners and programs across 23 parishes, creating pathways out of poverty.
On June 3rd, the Foundation and volunteers from our team partnered with the organization to sort and bag over 3,000 lbs of sweet potatoes that will in-turn be distributed to individuals and families in need in our community.
The Foundation partnered with the organization a second time for the Palmisano Food Drive, a 2-week effort held at our 1730 Tchoup HQ and across all New Orleans jobsites. It was an overwhelming success. In total, Palmisano team members contributed 3,100 food and household items which the Foundation matched with a $3,100 donation.
“Our Community Is” Snapshots
