Dallas Market Center has named two winners for The Next Big Give, a national search for specialty retailers that give back in their communities.
This year's winners are A. Dodson's, an apparel, gift, and home decor store in Suffolk, Va.; and Tyler, Texas-based Brookshire's Food & Pharmacy. The winners were selected from more than 50 retailers that are involved in a variety of ways through volunteering, raising funds or donating goods.
A. Dodson’s Owner Alison Dodson Anderson wanted a means to focus her store's giving efforts. Her search led to the development of The A. Dodson's Round Up, a program allowing customers to round up the cost of each purchase to the nearest dollar and have the extra cents donated to charity. A. Dodson's publishes a poll on its Facebook page in order for customers to choose the cause the Round Up funds will be donated to at the end of each month. Charities can easily apply by simply emailing their name, contact information, and confirmation of their 501c3 status.
"This January we were able to donate hundreds of dollars to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund through The A. Dodson's Round Up," said Kim Glover, director of marketing, A. Dodson's. "Through the program we are able to donate to charities near and dear to our hearts as well as expose our customers to organizations that they in turn volunteer for. It's incredibly rewarding."
Brookshire's has been giving back to the communities in which it operates since its founding. In 2008, the Community Connections program was founded to enable Brookshire's employees to assist with the causes important to each store’s local community. Employees form teams by store or non-retail department and gather to volunteer an average of four times per year with the cause of their choice. Last year, Brookshire’s donated more than 28,000 documented volunteer hours and more than $1.5 million to various charitable causes. One notable effort was its World War II Heroes Flight in May 2011, in which Brookshire's sent 33 World War II veterans to Washington, District of Columbia, all expenses paid, where they visited several war memorials and the U.S. Capitol building.
