In a way, it’s practically math: We know the community so well at TECO because we’ve been here 120 years. That’s long enough to grow with Tampa and grow our company in some positive ways for everyone’s benefit – see what we’re doing with solar power, for example.
But our legacy in Tampa adds up to something else too. In part because we know this area so well, we also see countless opportunities to help people in need. In 2017, that culminated in nearly 30,000 collective hours that our people donated in the community. In 2018, this effort continues – and one of the ways recently was our team members’ standout effort to support the 2018 Homeless Point in Time Count by the Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative (THHI).
“Homelessness is a community issue that requires community solutions,” said Antoinette D. Hayes-Triplett, MA, Chief Executive Officer with THHI. “During the recent annual Homeless Point-in-time Count, our community responded with 500 volunteers and 86 private and public organizations taking part in the annul count. The largest donation, of toiletry items and supplies for our homeless neighbors, came from @TampaElectric.”
She continued, “Financial contribution and supplies from the employees of TECO made an enormous impact on our ability to provide for our neighbors and conduct the required count. I am so grateful and humbled for the great work being done by our government leaders, faith-based organizations, non-profit providers and businesses!”
The idea behind the donation drive was to provide the homeless with items they needed in order to help officials count them. By knowing how many homeless are in the community, organizations are better able to allocate and acquire resources to help them.
And the need for help continues even though the count is over. Items like these are always needed:
- Socks
- Rain ponchos
- Toothbrushes
- Toothpaste
- Wet wipes
- Combs and brushes
“So many of us are part of this community, just like our customers, and statistics say someone in our family or someone we know might well be or become homeless during their lives,” said Monica Byrnes, senior admin specialist with TECO’s Credit & Collections team. “At TECO, we know we’re uniquely able to build a stronger community by virtue of our size and the kind of company we are, so it was no surprise that so many company team members stepped up to make a difference.”
Whether people in this community are our customers or not, we care about their well-being. Whether a homeless person faces mental illness, substance abuse issues, life-changing misfortune or something else, it’s good to know there are those who are dedicated to helping them – organizations we salute like TBHI. Eliminating something as widespread as homelessness will take a lot of work, but we’re proud to have the opportunity, working alongside those who have dedicated themselves to this goal, to join in.
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