January 22, 2021 – During the cold Winter months, Marquis Fine Cabinetry partners up with McGuire’s Irish Pub and Haven House for Destin homeless community.
You may not think that it gets cold in Florida, but it does for a couple months in the Winter. Since it does not drop below 60 degrees very often, many homeless people don’t have the proper attire to keep them warm. Marquis Fine Cabinetry’s goal for this volunteer event was to organically pass out jackets and warm soup in January to the Destin homeless community and Fort Walton Beach area.
Business Partnerships
Marquis started their outreach first with partnering up with a local thrift shop with an abundance of jackets. After making several calls, Haven House Thrift Stores graciously and without hesitation donated over 40 jackets and sweaters. Marquis’ president, Nick Zargari, wanted to go the extra mile and see if we could partner up with a local restaurant for soup donations to also hand out on January 22nd. Again, without hesitation, McGuire’s Irish Pub of Destin stepped up! Our amazing community continues to amaze us and we couldn’t be more thankful for these partnerships we were able to build.
Volunteers
Marquis recruited volunteers to help package up bags with water, to-go boxes of soup and a jacket. Once all 40 bags were filled, they were divided up into the volunteers’ vehicles to drive around and pass out. Pictured below is Marquis Fine Cabinetry’s owner, Nick Zargari, with his trunk full of bags to hand out. We want to thank the volunteers that also joined who were friends and family of Marquis’ employees. The area’s served were all up and down Main St. and Mountain Drive in Destin. The volunteers said they had their best luck in Downtown Fort Walton Beach at Liza Jackson Park and throughout 1st and 3rd Street.
Experience
The stories from the volunteers not only warmed the bodies of the homeless, but also warmed our hearts too. So many were surprised and grateful for the fresh food and warm jackets as it had rained earlier in the day. The volunteers struck up conversations with many as well and could see that their day got a little bit better by the smiles on their faces.
Future Volunteer Events
Marquis plans on hosting further volunteer events in the future. If you are interested in giving back to your community, follow us on Facebook to keep up with future volunteer opportunities.