Hello - I wanted to introduce ourselves - We're your new neighbors! Middleton Outreach Ministry (MOM) has been working with the poor in downtown Middleton on Hubbard Avenue since 1985, but we recently moved our food pantry and clothing closet from St. Luke's on Hubbard Avenue to an impressive self-serve site near you on Montclair Drive in the Middleton Business Park.

What a strange place for a food pantry you might say! It is "different," I would admit, but we are probably there for the same reason as many of our business neighbors - The warehouse gives us plenty of space to fulfill our dream.

We have built it, and they are coming. You may have already noticed. We serve the poor; those of great faith, little faith, and no faith, and they are definitely coming.

So, besides being just neighbors, I was thinking that we could also work together. Am I pushing the connection?

I don't think so. Businesses have always supported MOM. And nationally, businesses have made great progress to create positive social change when linked with non-profits.

Internationally, Nike has used its powerful swoosh logo to make positive change for youth by sponsoring "playground leaders" who monitor playground behavior while sporting the Nike swoosh. The brand, because of its appeal, makes the project "cool" to kids instead of pathetic. Good Business (Hilton & Gibbons, 2002) sites this case as well as many other examples of social entrepreneurship.

The Disney Channel is currently encouraging kids to volunteer their time and join in a national effort through Disney Adventure. Kids are rewarded with special membership in a Disney club, recognition, and Disney gear.

Locally, we have all seen businesses sponsor "clean-ups," food drives, playground constructions, school reading programs, raffles, and the construction of Habitat homes.

The United Way annually has a Day of Caring which links businesses, volunteers, and non-profits to create an enormous impact on the community for one day. Last year 1900 volunteers worked at 116 non-profits and area schools. This year, the Day of Caring is set for Tuesday, September 9.

When the power of business is harnessed to do good, it does great.

What makes it great is the people behind the work. I have heard businesses speak of their greatest assets being their people. From where I stand, I can see that this is true. Money donated to non-profits is put to good use, but when businesses become invested in the cause and take risks to reach the goal, the effects and positive change are limitless.

I understand that businesses also benefit greatly from involving their people in community change. Workers feel re-charged and re-dedicated to their work. When an employee can use a skill that they have developed to help their community, it helps the individual to find greater value and purpose in their lives. People work better when they do good work.

People don't need to use their unique skills to recharge. Sometimes it is better to do work that is completely different. Picking up litter from the side of a road has little to do with banking, yet bank employees feel better about their job when they have worked as a team in the sunshine.

Because I am the volunteer coordinator for MOM, I sometimes get emails from groups that wish to volunteer. This is always very exciting because I can imagine the power in the opportunity. Often these groups come in and sort clothes for the day, re-stock, or re-organize. We greatly appreciate one-time projects, but we wish for lasting connections.

I envision businesses "adopting" a day at our clothing closet and food pantry and feeling ownership of what we think is a great place, or allowing employees to take a regular shift during their lunch hour twice a month. Alternatively, if businesses sponsored food drives and clothing collection sites, we could stock our shelves and hangers indefinitely. If your greatest assets, your people, put their heads together to improve our community, I'm certain they would come up with great ideas. We crave your energy and ingenuity. A strong link between MOM and your business, along with others, could create new energy for doing good business in Middleton.

Sarah Mackesey
Volunteer Coordinator
Middleton Outreach Ministry

For more information on how your business can help non-profits:

www.volunteeryourtime.org
www.pointsoflight.org
www.newprofit.com

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