STOBER sales team volunteers at Maysville Hands of Hope

Each December, the STOBER sales team gathers in Maysville, Ky. to plan their goals and strategies for the upcoming year.  This year, the team decided to incorporate a team-building project that doubled as a volunteer effort to support the local community.  Maysville Hands of Hope immediately came to mind as a place to invest the team’s time and resources.

Maysville Hands of Hope is a non-profit organization that began three years ago as a Facebook group aimed to connect residents with resources.

“We consider ourselves a family,” said Niccole Harris, founder.  “We treat each other with compassion and leave judgement at the door.  We have all hit hard times in our lives, and Maysville Hands of Hope is here to bridge that gap.”

With a physical storefront in downtown Maysville, Maysville Hands of Hope has grown by leaps and bounds this year, often overwhelmed with both donations and shoppers, which makes keeping up with the rotation of items within the store a difficult task for one person to maintain.  The organization relies on volunteers to help.

While the employees at STOBER have participated in the organization’s toy drives or donated event proceeds to their cause in the past, the STOBER sales team came through with the gift of time.  Everyone volunteered for a few hours to help sort donations, hang clothing on hangers, and serve lunch to shoppers who visited the store.

“What an amazing day! I teared up many times, just overwhelmed with gratitude from STOBER and their employees,” Harris said.  “The love they showed was felt through Maysville Hands of Hope into our community today, serving a wonderful lunch and helping in so many ways. Their presence was so loving, helping us sort and hang clothing until we ran out of hangers, which is hard because we have hundreds!”

Harris wasn’t the only one who felt moved by the effort.  While rolling their sleeves up and jumping in to help, STOBER employees were also humbled to help members of their community through the organization’s efforts. 

“I am so thankful to work for a company who values the community. Organizing and investing in events for employees to volunteer and serve speaks volumes,” said Rebecca Banks, Marketing Content Strategist.  “And seeing the rewards of our efforts through positive impacts on others is icing on the cake.”