Making an Impact
The Opportunity: Storm Uri
At Wayfinder, one of our main goals is to make an impact for good in communities and for families. Back in February of 2021, an opportunity to do good presented itself in Texas with Storm Uri. Storm Uri hit Texas very hard and impacted millions of people. The freeze hit for almost seven days and it affected the electrical grid, so there were many people who did not have food, could not heat their homes, and could not even get gas for vehicles because the systems were down.
Evaluating the Situation
When we heard about the situation, immediately our hearts broke. We called down to our properties in Texas asking if they were ok and if they needed anything. The regional director expressed that they really needed food. The H-E-B was almost completely out of food, save for a few remaining lunch meat packages. They were concerned that their tenants would not have enough food to get through the weekend. It was really scary. We sat there with that news and said, “Well, we can’t necessarily write a check. It’s not really going to help to just write a check for this one.”
Seizing the Opportunity
After some brainstorming, we called the regional director back and said, “Hey, if we got a truck and filled it with food and brought it, would that help you?” She broke down in tears, and she said, “I can’t believe you would be willing to help, that is amazing.”
Taking the next step, we found out that we could rent a refrigerated truck. We then took it to Costco and Sam’s Club and asked if they could waive their limits on some of their products to help us, and they said, “Absolutely.” The staff at both places all jumped on board to help us. It was pretty amazing.
When we got the truck down to Texas, there were about 30 people waiting there for us to help us unload the truck. We then worked with our client and their team to unload the truck. They had boxes ready so that as we unloaded the truck, we began to make food kits that would get a family through the weekend.
Treating Every Property Like Our Own Home
The fingerprint of Wayfinder, what makes us unique, is that we treat every property as if it was our own. In this situation, if that was our own property, we absolutely would do anything we could to help. If we are looking for opportunities to do good in the world, they will come. All we have to do is be willing to say yes.
At Wayfinder, it is our goal to always say yes to opportunities to do good.
