Maximus Staff Show Their Generosity by Supporting Food & Friends

Dec 7, 2023 10:00 AM ET
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William Lessane, Tirhas Wubneh, Raquel Savoy, Vernetta Chambers, Mavis Haizel, and Dan Blitz food prepping for the Food & Friend Program.

Food & Friends

Every Tuesday after Thanksgiving is designated as GivingTuesday, an annual celebration that encourages global generosity. The idea came to life in 2012 and has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

Throughout the year, Maximus employees demonstrate their generosity in a variety of ways⁠⁠—whether it’s helping a neighbor, advocating for an issue, sharing a skill, or giving to causes, many across the U.S. donate their time, energy, and resources to give back to our local communities.

Join us in celebrating an inspiring story shared by our colleague and the meaningful cause they support.

Maximus staff at the District of Columbia Job Placement and Family Re-Housing Stabilization Program (FRSP), Washington, D.C.
Shared by: Tirhas Wubneh, Vice President, Workforce Services

The DC Job Placement and FRSP staff joined to participate in a community service activity at the Food & Friends Program. Food & Friends, a grant recipient of the Maximus Foundation, is the only community-based organization in the D.C. region providing home-delivered, medically tailored meals and medical nutrition therapy to families living with cancer, HIV/AIDS, and other serious illnesses. They serve more than 200 new clients monthly with over 3,800 daily deliveries.

Food & Friends spends a lot of time preparing ingredients and packing the thousands of meals it delivers daily to its clients. To support their efforts, the Maximus team of volunteers assisted with various tasks, including food preparation and packing items for delivery. Outside of the kitchen, the Maximus team assisted Foods & Friends in addressing the social isolation clients experience by writing more than 100 lunchbox notes and words of encouragement to accompany the meals delivered to individuals. These lunchbox notes help mitigate social isolation due to a lack of relationships or little to no social support, which links to increased risk for heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety, addiction, and self-harm.

The contribution of the Maximus team helped Food & Friends ensure that they continue to provide food and support for clients living with severe illnesses while working to brighten their day with a personal touch.

This is just one of the many examples of Maximus staff donating their time to others. We are pleased to take this opportunity on GivingTuesday to recognize their efforts to give back to their communities and the vital causes that serve those who need it most.

Giving back to the communities we serve

The Maximus Foundation is one of the ways Maximus employees are doing something greater together. Established by the Maximus Board of Directors in 2000, the Maximus Foundation is an independent, employee-led, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Employee donors pool their charitable contributions together through the Foundation, double their impact on the grantmaking program through Maximus’ dollar-for-dollar matching pledge, and make their voices heard by nominating and voting for future grantee partners. Though the Foundation focuses its giving strategy on grantmaking, it also helps coordinate corporate-wide humanitarian efforts and empowers employees to donate their time and skills to nonprofits. Their inspired giving and volunteerism help accelerate the missions of nonprofits on the frontlines of the communities we serve. Learn more at maximus.com/foundation.