Local Home Building Company Gives Back to the Community
At Cronkhite Homes, contributing to the community is a central value. In addition to building quality homes, owner Mike Cronkhite and his team make the time build up their neighbors.
Cronkhite Homes has sent two employees to volunteer at Ozarks Food Harvest every Wednesday since May of 2021. For Mike, giving time at the Food Bank has illuminated the importance of Ozarks Food Harvest’s work. With two children, he feels for families who face hunger and is glad he can donate his time to helping them get the food they need.
“One of the most impactful things about volunteering at Ozarks Food Harvest is seeing the amount of good quality food we sort that would have just been thrown away. Ozarks Food Harvest gives it a second chance and gets it into the hands of people who need it,” he says.
With a reach that extends to several cities in southwest Missouri, Cronkhite Homes felt that Ozarks Food Harvest’s 28 county service area would allow them to give back to the communities they live and work in every day. It’s a large part of why they chose Ozarks Food Harvest as their service initiative. Cronkhite Homes employees feel accomplished after their volunteer sessions knowing their time helps Ozarks Food Harvest in its mission to Transform Hunger into Hope, especially appreciating that volunteer coaches share the amount of pounds sorted after every session.
Mike says their time at Ozarks Food Harvest has had a positive impact on the company culture. “By volunteering together, they get the chance to develop a better relationship,” Mike explains, “And I put myself in the rotation. It gives me a chance to interact with the employees on a more personal level.”
Volunteering has brought the home building company closer together, but the desire to help neighbors in need has also stirred a bit of friendly competition. Each group shares the pounds of food sorted during their session and keeps track of who has sorted the most, hoping their volunteer session will be the one to break the record.
Mike shares, “If someone is close to the record, they let everyone know. They take pride in what they’re doing and don’t hesitate to share it.”
Thanks to volunteers like the employees at Cronkhite Homes, Ozarks Food Harvest is able to provide more than 20 million meals annually. If you or your company is interested in donating time at Ozarks Food Harvest, visit ozarksfoodharvest.org/volunteer. to sign up and learn more.