INVESTING IN THE COMMUNITY QUORE GIVES BACK

The holidays are the time of year when many people want to give back to help those in need. After all, giving back is the best way to spread some holiday cheer. There are so many worthy non-profits serving local communities in Middle Tennessee it may be hard to decide where to volunteer. No matter how you decide to get involved, just know your time and efforts are greatly appreciated and for those who can make monetary donations, those too go a long way in fulfilling needs in the community.

This year Quore, a software company headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, introduced Quore Cares. David Fox, COO at Quore, explained, “Our staff expressed a desire for opportunities to collectively serve the local community and as a result, our executive leadership was happy to create the Quore Cares program. Each quarter our team comes together to support a need locally and we have a great time together serving others.” In addition to volunteering as a group, Quore employees also receive 16 hours annually for Volunteer Time Off to be used in support of charities they are personally passionate about.

In September, 16 Quore employees volunteered at the Williamson County Animal Center (WCAC) in Franklin as part of the Quore Cares initiative. Ondrea Johnson, the Director at WCAC said, “We are so fortunate to live in the community that we live in because we have such an outpouring of support for this organization. Last year volunteers gave so many hours that it was the equivalent of 10 full time employees.” During their time at WCAC, the Quore staff volunteers were given a tour of the facility by Scott Pieper, the Community Outreach Coordinator, as well as tasked with priority items such as painting the rabbit hutch, setting up the education room, and cutting dog treats.

Quore Cares also partnered with GraceWorks Ministries in June this year. This nonprofit helps Williamson County neighbors in need by providing food, shelter, and financial support. Their mission is neighbor serving neighbor, by the power of God’s grace. Last year 4,021 neighbors received Christmas gifts through the GraceWorks Manger, 3,261 were helped to find shelter to avoid homelessness, 24,096 bags of weekend food were given through the Student Fuel Bags Program, 5,967 carts of food were distributed to Williamson County families in need, and over 7,000 food-insecure neighbors were given food because of the community’s support.

On average, 250 volunteers serve onsite each week at GraceWorks. Quore had two groups of volunteers for their June visit to GraceWorks who helped with a variety of tasks. “It was a great experience,” said Jan Spencer, Accounting Manager at Quore. “We helped straighten up the retail store, tagged items for sale, organized donations, and prepared food items to be given away. It was a wonderfully humbling experience and made my heart happy.”

If you would like to share your talents this holiday season, GraceWorks Ministries and WCAC have plenty of volunteering opportunities for those who want to come in weekly or for a one-time experience. Keep in mind during the holiday season, people do have more time off from work or school making it a popular time to volunteer. For this reason, many non-profits’ shifts might be full. If you can’t find that perfect opportunity to help this holiday season, there are countless opportunities yearround to give back.

Visit graceworksministries.net or adoptwcac.org for additional information about GraceWorks Ministries and the Williamson County Animal Center respectively.

To explore other nonprofits in the area, visit greatnonprofits.com/city/franklin/TN to find a list of amazing local nonprofits.