As the 2022 holiday season comes to an end, so does TPD’s annual holiday giving program, which was created to benefit community members (and animals) across the eastern United States. This program also helped TPDers continue to connect with one of our collective corporate values: The commitment to bettering our surrounding communities through charitable work and giving. Our staff, their families and our generous neighbors once again came together to make our “12 Ways of Giving” program a success!
TPD extends a sincere thank you to everyone who participated, either via donation or volunteer efforts. We had over 60 TPDers volunteer for at least one of our events this year – not including those who participated more than once, family members who joined us along the way, or the countless TPDers who have helped via donations or in other ways.
Check out the photos of our people in action here and a summary of our “Ways” below.
Events and Collections |
| 1. Main Line Animal Rescue Volunteering On Wednesday, October 19th, 11 TPDers visited Main Line Animal Rescue (MLAR) in Phoenixville, PA to lend them a hand by volunteering for a few hours doing some pathway/fence pruning and trimming to make the property safer for the animals and volunteer walkers. We also presented them with a donation to their Medical Fund, which supports the onsite and specialty medical care needed by their rescues. |
| 2. Project HOME Project HOME is a non-profit organization based out of Philadelphia, PA with a mission to empower people to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty. This year we collected personal items from their wishlist to provide support to the residents of their 1515 Fairmount clean-and-sober permanent supportive housing residence for adults. Additionally, we donated two Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Baskets with all of the fixings to provide a Thanksgiving dinner for formerly homeless individuals and/or low-income families within the Project HOME community. Brian Watson, our fellow TPDer who passed on earlier this year, was an active supporter of causes like Project HOME; this donation from TPD is being made in his honor. |
| 3. ACEC-NJ Can Structure Competition As part of our partnership with and in support of ACEC NJ, TPD joined their Can Sculpture contest in 2022 benefitting FulFill NJ Food Bank. We were one of 10 consultant firm teams, bringing to life a pre-designed “Back to the Future” themed sculpture made of 1,654 cans of food (1,738 cans donated in total). TPD had a solid showing, especially considering it was our first year participating, however we were shut out along with seven other firms by two veteran firms who swept all four judging categories. Thank you to everyone who put in the time, effort, resources and hours to plan, design, test and re-test building our sculpture (and food donation)! |
| 4. Today is a good day NICU Family Support Today is a Good Day is a company started by Martha and Paul Sharkey, parents who experienced the NICU journey with premature babies and recognized a gap in care for parents and families navigating the NICU. The organization provides personal support, care packages, car seats, monetary donations, and more to help families in hospitals across Pennsylvania as well as locations in New Jersey, Delaware, Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinios. TPDers helped weave bonding squares, or pieces of fabric that help babies and parents bond through smell, in the PTO Conference Center as well as remotely, which will be inserted into NICU parent’s care packages. |
| 5. Toys for Tots Keeping up with annual tradition, TPD served as a Toys for Tots drop-off location. With help from community members, TPDers and family members, we collected 232 toys that went to local charities via the US Marine Corps Reserve’s program! |
| 6. LimbTech Donation LimbTech is a charitable clinic identified by our Asheville, NC office, focused on seating and positioning. They are based in Hendersonville, NC and provide in-person and telehealth services to individuals throughout all of North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida. TPD made a donation, which is being combined with a donation from a local foundation, to help pay for the $2,000 wheelchair equipment needed by a gentleman with a spinal cord injury, who is living in a Skilled Nursing Facility and was unable to get insurance to help. |
| 7. Operation 143 Volunteering Operation 143, which is based out of Pottstown, PA, collects a specific list of food items that are packed into backpacks to feed over 330 food insecure students throughout communities across southeastern PA. On Friday, December 9th, TPDers delivered a food donation and volunteered their time helping pack backpacks to be sent home with students and delivering a donation during their visit. Thank you to the TPDers that donated and volunteered their time for such an important cause. |
| 8. Santa’s Side Kicks Members of the CJO teamed up to save Santa the trouble this year for four local children via the Santa’s Sidekicks program. Families who are less fortunate are chosen by local schools for assistance each year in making their family’s holiday extra special. TPD sponsored gifts for 4 children’s Christmas lists, which were delivered to their parents along with supplies to wrap the gifts. Janella Guillermo even volunteered her home as a drop off location! |
| 9. The Paris Foundation Volunteering The Paris Foundation is a non-profit organization located in Elkton, MD, serving the disadvantaged and homeless in their community. Our Elkton, MD office collected items from their wishlist to provide support, as well as visited with the Foundation to help with dinner service on Monday, December 12th. |
| 10. Pibbles Paws Safe Haven Dog Rescue Donation Pibbles Paws Safe Haven is a foster-based rescue located in Northampton County, PA. They believe every dog deserves a family, and are in serious need of donations. TPD made a donation to help them continue to support the critters who call their facility home! |
| 11. Wreaths Across America The National Cemetery of the Alleghenies participates in the national Wreaths Across America initiative, which remembers and honors veterans by placing wreaths on each of their 12,300+ veterans’ gravestones. The TPD team sponsored 83 wreaths this year. Volunteers assisted with wreath placement on December 17th and will also help with removal when the time comes. Fun fact – a few TPDers also helped with wreath distribution at Valley Forge National Historical Park this year too (also included in the photo album)! |
| 12. Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA) Volunteering To continue to support MANNA in Philadelphia, 11 members of the Philadelphia, PA office joined together help MANNA staff prepare and package medically tailored meals; these meals are like a prescription for people who suffer from life-threatening illnesses, and help these clients maintain a healthy diet. The meals that are prepared for their clients are all completed in this Philadelphia facility and are shipped across the state. TPD also made a monetary donation this year. |