MDG Holiday Rewind
Written by: Kristy Buttermore
Over the holidays, we had the opportunity to give back to our community through our second annual Can-Struction food drive. This exciting event brings our company together while pitting teams against each other to not only bring in the most donations, but to design and construct a unique and structurally sound Christmas tree. MDG provided each team with $125 in food items to kick start the process, and teams brought in their own donations to add to the build.
This year we had three teams – the Gangta Wrappers, Disorganized Chaos, and the Jacksonville Jammers. We organized a one-hour Build-a-thon complete with a count-down clock to ensure each team would have the same opportunity to complete their build. Teams enjoyed a catered lunch then set to work executing their designs. Other than planning, no prep was allowed in advance, so teams had to think fast and work together to divvy up tasks to get everything done in time. Builds were judged on a criteria that included overall aesthetic, structural integrity, attention to detail, originality, and height.
We would like to congratulate the Jacksonville Jammers on their first place win! This is the second year our Jax office crew has taken the number one spot. Their thorough planning, attention to detail, and unique execution earned them the win. The team will be treated to lunch at the restaurant of their choice.
Together we gathered almost 800 non-perishable food and paper items. Working through St. Johns CARES, our donations were allotted to Pie in the Sky, who does home deliveries to seniors in need. They are currently assisting 465 low-income seniors in our community, and we are thrilled to be able to help. Thank you to Pie in the Sky Senior Program Manager Phyllis Wood and her team of volunteers for coming to the office to pick up the donations.
To learn more about St. Johns CARES and help them in their important mission, please check out their website and the different ways you can become involved.
We also had the opportunity to come together before closing for the holidays and celebrate a year of success and growth. At our annual MDG Christmas Luncheon, teammates enjoyed a relaxing afternoon of camaraderie and delicious food (courtesy of local favorite Gypsy Cab Co). This year we decided to make things a little more fun by adding a gift raffle (that included both serious gifts, like gift cards, snack baskets, and St. Augustine Distillery bourbon, and gag gifts, like socks printed with Rob Matthew’s face). We also hosted an ugly sweater contest, and were absolutely floored by the creativity of our teammates.
Thank you to our team for making these events so successful! We had a blast and cannot wait to do it again next year.
