NAIOP Maryland’s bi-annual Community Service program benefited U.S. military troops stationed around the globe who, in the next several weeks, will be receiving care packages stocked with essential toiletries such as wipes, soap, and toothbrushes.
Last week, more than 160 Chapter members descended upon the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Halethorpe to assemble more than 2,000 care packages, which were quickly whisked to BWI Airport and subsequently shipped to a United Services Organization (USO) warehouse in Chicago.
The effort was led by Community Service co-chair Nicole Wilhelm Smith, Plano-Coudon Construction and Dave Jaques, Partner Contracting, with the idea originating from Reid Townsend, Founding Principal of MRP Industrial, who also serves on the USO Global Advisory Council.
More than $100,000 was raised in the initiative through corporate sponsorships and individual gifts, with the funds directly impacting the USO and other military-related groups.
“Among the challenges our committee faces when determining an activity is finding enough meaningful things for such a large group of people to do over several hours,” Wilhelm Smith said. “We had no trouble with this effort and implemented a highly efficient and organized program that leveraged the enthusiasm and passion of the participants. Knowing that what we were accomplishing directly impacted our troops overseas was a significant motivating factor.”
In his role with the USO, Townsend has been charged with introducing the commercial real estate industry to activities of a group whose mission is to better the lives of military members and their families. As NAIOP Maryland began to formulate its next Community Service program last fall, he proposed the idea of assembling these packages to “bring a little touch of home and comfort” to the military members.
They needed a large outdoor space to accommodate a large group of people and chose the brewery, in part based on its proximity to BWI Airport, because that was the next destination for the boxed care packages. Last year, MRP Industrial began the redevelopment of the Guinness manufacturing plant to construct two Class A warehouse/distribution buildings comprising 485,000 square feet of space.
“The opportunity was too big to pass up and NAIOP Maryland was among the few organizations with the necessary manpower to complete the care package effort,” Townsend. “We were able to explain the USO mission to commercial real estate leaders, while also accomplishing a much-needed project for our soldiers.”
Brittany Freshwater, USO’s Senior Area Operations Manager, told the audience that “the USO was formed nearly 85 years ago to improve the well-being of the people and families of our country’s Armed Forces.”
She said that many soldiers do not have the opportunity to bathe for weeks, and the sanitary wipes in the care packages provide the chance to clean themselves up and feel better. “Something as simple as that means so much for our troops,” she said.
The event gave participants a chance to show their patriotism, with teams from Harkins Builders and Prologis draped in American flags.
“Our troops sacrifice everything to make our world better and safer, and it is extremely gratifying to see so many people make the time to improve their lives,” Townsend added.
