Here is a follow-up to guest editor Ame Kuyper’s Adopt a Family story last week. Frequent TASC Force organizer Meagan Gleason, whose Modesto team has recently supported its local Boys and Girls Club and benefited the Society for Handicapped Children and Adults, this time adopted a family for the holidays. Meagan reports: We were one of the 47 restaurants to participate in the Adopt a Family this holiday season. It was honestly really sad to see that all these children wanted for Christmas was clothes and shoes.

For 65 years, the Society for Handicapped Children and Adults has been dedicated to improving the quality of life and self sufficiency for people with disabilities in the Central Valley of California.The Society has the largest free medical equipment loan closet (i.e. hospital beds, wheelchairs, walkers…) in the area, offers sign language classes, and provides adaptive sports and recreation for persons with disabilities. The Society receives its funding from private sources and support from the community.

As readers of these weekly articles know, our company and Foundation support dozens of charities throughout the year with financial contributions and volunteer help through our TASC Force program. The charity that receives most of our support is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) where hope for a cure continues to brighten as new drugs and better treatments are being discovered.

Attendees Package 100,000 Meals on 9/11

They came to the GM Conference to learn, to share, to enjoy and, as it turned out, to form the largest TASC Force team in history.  It was early morning on Tuesday, September 11th, when 225 conference attendees worked together towards a common goal: packaging 100,000 meals for needy children in Haiti. The earthquake that hit that country in January of 2010 immediately left 3 million people in need of emergency aid.

Children were starving and the world responded.

Being arrested is no laughing matter, but when it’s done for a good cause, being locked up isn’t all that bad. Just ask John Welsh and his El Paso team who hosted more than 200 temporary jailbirds as they awaited their freedom.

Executive Kitchen Manager Bobby Brown and his Daytona TASC Force team came to the aid of the local battered women’s shelter. Because of the volume of TASC Force stories, this event occurred during the holiday season last year, but the story is timeless and the kindness of our team remains continues to be so relevant. Here’s his story:

Lake Berryessa in Napa, California was the site for some lakeshore clean-up and Vacaville’s Senior Manager Jim Amistoso and his TASC Force team answered the call. Here’s his story:

Adrian Fabella, DM in Roseville, reports on the third year in a row that Roseville team members have not only hosted a blood drive, but also donated blood themselves. Adrian says, “With the support of the community and our team members we had 39 volunteers donate their time and their blood, for a total of 29 units of blood. We hosted the blood drive in our parking lot and served pizza, Pizookies and root beer to all donors. We look forward to hosting this event next year and expect to raise our donation level.”

Senior Manager Scott Sweeney and team Roseville have once again organized a TASC Force team, this time to support the BIA (Building Industry Association). This organization sends 250 care packages twice a year to military units serving in Afghanistan and Kosovo. Included in the boxes are notes from school children and members of the BIA, as well as snacks, treats, personal care items, reading materials and other comforts from home. Here’s an eyewitness account from team member Conrad Morgan:

Roseville team member Molly Patterson worked for a month in Cambodia recently and taught English in two schools. She sent a wonderfully detailed account of her experiences, a small part of which I’m happy to share here. “The people of Cambodia are trying to move from a country of factory workers to a more industrialized country. The way that I and others can help with this development is through a more substantial education for the youth of Cambodia.