Grand Incentives Makes Homelessness a Priority
Sarasota, Florida, March 24, 2016 (Newswire.com) - For more than a decade, Sarasota, Florida, has topped national lists as one of the “meanest” cities in America in which to be homeless. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, this status is based on the general political climate toward homeless people in the city, as well as the city’s history of criminalization measures.
This prevailing attitude hasn’t stopped one Sarasota-based company from adopting a mission of mercy, helping raise awareness of the plight of the homeless and pledging its support – with fund-raising and with manpower – to help better the lives of the area’s indigent. For the past eight years, Grand Incentives (GI), a leading provider of travel and rebate incentives for business, has focused not only on faraway places but also its local community – providing meals, supplies and friendly faces for those that need them most.
As great a country as we are, there should be no person that goes hungry or doesn't have a roof.
Larry Biondi, Chief Operating Officer, Grand Incentives
On the third Thursday of each month, GI employees gather by the Sarasota waterfront and serve a meal of tacos, Spanish rice and refried beans – supplied by the Mi Pueblo restaurant, and paid for through GI employee donations – to as many as 150 of the area’s homeless. Some of the faces are new, while others can be seen month after month. Around the holidays, GI’s people fill and pass out backpacks with such necessities as toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, hand sanitizer, hats and gloves. At other times of the year, they distribute blankets, sleeping bags and donated clothing.
“It gives them a little lift,” says Larry Forwerck, a GI booking agent who is a regular presence at the monthly dinners, dishing out food and smiles to the people who stop by for a warm meal. “We enjoy being able to help brighten their day for a minute.”
The company’s efforts on behalf of the homeless were spearheaded by Chief Operating Officer Larry Biondi, expanding on a Christmas wish from his son Matthew. Having just returned home after his discharge from the U.S. Marine Corps, the younger Biondi – a Purple Heart recipient – suggested that he and his father celebrate the holiday by cooking up a big meal and feeding anybody who needed a good meal. So the two spent Christmas day cooking, then loaded up the car and set up their table near the downtown branch of the Sarasota library. The elder Biondi estimates that they served 30 to35 people that night, and right then made a commitment to do something each month.
“We started this thing,” says Larry Biondi, “but there are now seven or eight groups, companies that have jumped in with their own nights.”
He points out that many people have a misperception about the homeless, that it’s only older people – many of whom have drug or alcohol problems, or mental health issues – who are affected. But over the years, Biondi has seen the homeless population getting a lot younger. He often sees young families at the monthly dinners. Recently, he spent time with a young family whose apartment was destroyed in an electrical fire; they lost everything, including their place to live.
“There’s such a fine line. It’s often just a matter of hard luck,” adds Biondi. “As great a country as we are, there should be no person that goes hungry or doesn’t have a roof. My hope is that enough groups will join in the effort, so that there’s someone helping out every night. I don’t know if we’ll ever eliminate the problem, but we can make it a lot easier for a lot of people.”
To find out more about Grand Incentives’ ongoing efforts to help the homeless, visit their website at www.grandincentives.com.
Grand Incentives is a premier travel incentive company that sets itself apart from the rest by bringing innovative promotional travel offers, enabling the corporate world to more effectively activate, acquire, retain, renew and enhance customer and employee relationships. Grand Incentives has designed low-cost travel offers and listens to clients’ needs to provide what works best for them. Over the past 10 years, Grand Incentives has sold and serviced millions of incentive certificates globally. To learn more, visit www.grandincentives.com.
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For more information, press only:
David Abolafia, (941) 552-7885 ext. 1238, dabolafia@grandincentives.com
