Here at O'Brien®, we love that warm, fuzzy feeling we get when we give back to the community around us.
Caring is something that’s always been a part of our DNA, which is why we’re dedicated to supporting several initiatives throughout the year that help to support those who need it most when times get tough. And with the approach of the holiday season around the corner, the O'Brien Giving Back Committee, with representatives from all O'Brien divisions, wanted to support local families in need.
That’s why we recently teamed up with the Salvos as part of their “Host a Food or Gift Drive” initiative.
Throughout November, we held a Food and Gift Drive (on behalf of the Salvation Army) to collect food and gifts to help support the families that will be having a hard time as we head into the end of the year.
As part of our drive, we set up three “Christmas Hubs” at central O'Brien® branches and locations in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane to allow staff to donate non-perishable food and gifts.
The Salvos in each city then ensured that all these donated items got to local families to help make their Christmas period a little easier for themselves and their children.
A genuine team effort from the O'Brien® family
Using three central collection hubs enabled each city’s staff and branches to participate in the drive, bringing donations to add to the hub over the month. Overall, the drive was a great success.
Sally Sylvester, Call Centre Manager at our Padstow HQ, summed up why we choose to do things like this at O'Brien®.
“At this time of the year, we can all get a bit caught up in our own worlds, trying to tick all the boxes as the year draws to a close.
“Having the vision and goal to collect food items and gifts for the Salvos has enabled my team and I to have a greater purpose at this time of the year. We all worked together to collect as many items as we could and gathered these items in our collective workspace. Seeing these items grow each week was fantastic to watch,” says Sally.
Tess Somerton, O'Brien Account Manager based in Melbourne, assisted with the Melbourne drive effort, offering up her time to collect donations from around the O'Brien branches across Melbourne for delivery to the Salvos.
She echoed Sally’s sentiments, telling us that “being part of the O'Brien/Salvos gift drive was a great opportunity for our teams and branches to come together with one goal to make a positive difference and bring a little Christmas joy to local families who may be struggling.”
Sally added, “it was great to pass these items onto the Salvos and see the smiles on their faces knowing that what our O'Brien teams had donated would make such a difference.”
Working together to give back
A huge thanks to all the teams across O'Brien®, from Glazing, AutoGlass, Commercial and Central Office, that supported our Salvos drive and helped us to give back to those in need. We look forward to getting more opportunities to help the people and communities around us in 2023.
From all of us here at O'Brien®, we wish you a safe and restful holiday season. See you all in 2023!
Want to lend a hand to the Salvos? Visit the Salvation Army website here.
