The Wilbert Group has been working remotely for more than a month. Through Zoom, Slack, email and phone calls, our team has provided counsel, written messaging, created crisis plans and executed meaningful social media campaigns for our clients during these uncertain times. We’ve been inspired by our clients giving back to their communities and honored to tell those stories.

The examples below are not an exhaustive list, but rather a peak at a few ways our clients are pitching in.

Here in Atlanta, Georgia’s Own Credit Union already has the reputation for supporting the community through its 85 Acts of Kindness initiative, and the company has not slowed down. In just one week, the Georgia’s Own community raised more than $11,000 for Action Ministries’ initiative to deliver meals to children during school closures. Georgia’s Own Foundation provided a $10,000 match, bringing the total to $21,242! The charitable arm of Georgia’s Own also delivered 120 meals to emergency room nurses at Northeast Georgia Medical Center.

Oak, a forthcoming mixed-use development in Oklahoma City, hasn’t broken ground yet, but with a robust social media presence and audience of over 11,000, they wanted to use their online community to help out. We posted a simple call to action: Tell us one thing that’s made you smile lately, and for every comment, Oak will donate $1 to the local food bank. We were overwhelmed with the response and were able to spread positivity and donate nearly $500 from one social media post.

Gas South has taken its “Be a Fuel for Good” initiative to unprecedented levels, committing over $1 million to COVID-19 relief efforts. This includes $200,00 to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, $150,000 to help vulnerable individuals pay for their heat through the Heating Energy Assistance Team (HEAT), $250,000 to support distance learning through United Way of Greater Atlanta and $150,000 to fund childcare for first responders and frontline workers through YMCA of Metro Atlanta.

Halcyon in Forsyth County is hosting an on-site food drive supporting families in need through a partnership with The Place Forsyth. Wood’s Chapel in Summerhill served as a pick-up point for meals while Atlanta Public Schools are out. And in partnership with gusto!, Carter served 300 free meals to men and women of the Atlanta Police Department.

Though we are a small business, we too are looking for ways to give back. This month, we decided to donate our “fun committee” budget – think birthday and anniversary recognitions, happy hours, etc. – and our snack budget to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. One of our team members offered her Wilbert Wellness stipend to the donation, which sparked a movement of 75% of our team to do the same. (Wilbert Wellness is a $100 monthly stipend to full-time team members to cover anything that helps them renew, which could be a ClassPass membership, meditation classes, running shoes, etc.)

Though Wilbert has long been involved in our community through work with the City of Refuge, Atlanta Community Food Bank, ULI Atlanta and others, we formalized our efforts last year and created Wilbert: Cares. Our program is typically about giving our time through pro bono work, but I am proud that our team also stepped up with dollars to feed the hungry people in our community. ACFB can provide four meals with every dollar donated, so we know we are making a difference.

Thanks to our clients – and the many other companies out there trying to do the right thing even as they face their own challenges – for the inspiration.