Why Giving Back Matters: A Look Back at Motz’s “Make it Grow” Community Impact

In every community across the country there are people in need, and that number seems to be growing with each passing year.

Think about those you know personally who could use some extra support? What about the number of charities in your community that need help as they work hard to do good and better the lives of others?

With the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and the job losses and economic impact that have come with it, there seems to be a greater need for giving back in our communities. According to the Census Bureau, data shows that more than 37 million people in America lived at or below the federal poverty line in 2020. That’s 11.4% of the population and a full percentage point higher than it was in 2019.

This statistic makes one thing abundantly clear — people are in need, and it’s up to us as individuals to do something about it.

Motz’s Make it Grow Program

Here at Motz, giving back to the community is an integral part of who we are as people and what we stand for as a company. There are a few different ways we support the community in this way: community service and fundraisers, our employee-funded impact fund, paid time off for charitable giving, and the Make it Grow initiative.

Every year around the holidays for the Make it Grow community impact, Motz gives each employee a dollar amount to spend as they see fit, and with these funds, there is only one rule that goes along with it: do good.

Each employee is encouraged to take their money and pay it forward. That means putting the funds towards something special or impactful — whether that entails donating to a local animal shelter, giving the funds to an inspiring charity, or taking advantage of a spontaneous moment to give to someone else in the community that’s in need. At the end of the day, it’s not important where it ends up. The only thing that matters is: “did it do good?”

The Make it Grow program has been a company tradition for years, implemented by our founder, Joe Motz. Here’s what he has to say about it:

“Whether through a monetary gift or volunteering, giving back is important to stay connected to the community and give people support who need it most. Because people are fighting battles I know nothing about, I feel I have a responsibility to help and help alleviate any hardships they may be going through or even just provide a little joy in their lives. With the inflation in the last year, we noticed $100 did not go as far. It was a reminder that the less fortunate are struggling even more and it is important to remember that and give back.”

Giving Back to the Community

To give you a little insight into the program and what some of our employees did for it this year, we’ve compiled quotes that highlight the variety of people and places the money went to to do good in our local communities.  

“My wife and I have started a toy drive with family and friends, and items are donated to Cincinnati Children’s hospital. This helps families get through tough times while staying in the hospital during the holidays and other major milestones.”

“We adopted a family this year and $100 went towards buying clothing for one of the children in the family.”

“I donated my funds to St. Joe’s Hospital. They help treat children with cancer. This was important to me as a friend of mine and her spouse recently lost their 4-year-old to cancer. St. Joe was able to help them enjoy the time they had with their child.”

“I gave to a needy college student that has been impacted financially by the pandemic and is struggling to stay afloat and in school.”

“I donated to Levitt Pavilion here in Denver CO. They host free, family-friendly concerts all summer long.”

“My friend gathers a large group together every year to go out to breakfast. She gathers donations from the group and others to provide a tip to the server at the end of the meal.  There’s no rhyme or reason to it as far as the restaurant or server. The group decides the location and then presents the cash to the server after the meal is complete. She has organized this for several years now, and I happened to just run into her and gave her the $100 to include with her other donations.”

“After the marketing team took a day of their VTO (volunteer time off) to serve Cincinnati’s Freestore Foodbank, I was inspired by their mission and work and decided to donate my $100 to the organization to help those in need of food.”

As you can see, each one of our team member’s community involvement is different. But every small act of good goes a long way in making someone’s day and life a little bit better — even if it’s just putting a smile on someone’s face. 

In honor of the Make it Grow program and the start of this new year, we want to encourage you to give back to those in need in your own community, because there are so many people out there that could use support — and a little extra kindness. 

So with that being said, we’ll leave you with one question (and one Joe challenges all of us with): what will you do this year to do good?