Nichole here! Recently, we’ve been doing a lot with The Auburn Food Bank and I wanted to give the history behind our long standing relationship with the food bank and the incredible things they are doing. 
Once Upon a time… Several years ago, Jon tasked me with finding something we could do as a team to give back. Not just financially, but really investing our time. Being born and raised in Auburn, I decided to call The Auburn Food Bank. I had several connections on the board and I thought it would be fun to re-connect. When I made that phone call, I had no idea that years later it would change the way I look at, not only life, but community. Being in real estate, I feel like it should be the number one thing we focus on…community. The Auburn Food Bank provides so much more to its clients beyond meals. 
There is a sense of warmth and caring that is indescribable. It took me awhile to figure out what it was; and once I did, I was absolutely overwhelmed with a want to do more. I’m currently on the docket to become a board member and crossing my fingers that works out.
Last year, during one of our normal team volunteer mornings, I was catching up with the director of the food bank, Debbie Christian. In casual conversation, she mentioned a big project they were working on and I prodded her for information. She went on to tell me of their dreams to make the food bank a more comfortable place for their clients by shifting from the pre-bagged handouts to a model more comparable to a grocery store. Jon stepped in and we immediately started reaching out to those we knew could help and finding out who wanted to get involved. Before we knew it, The Auburn Food Bank was breaking ground. Because of a sense of community -there’s that word again-, this dream became a reality for Debbie, her staff, volunteers, and clients. You can read more about this story here. 
Working for Jon Bye has kick-started my want to do more for my community. Without his encouragement, I’m not sure I would have even been volunteering in the first place. I urge anyone reading this to reach out within your own communities to find out what a need might be. Or, if you would like, we are always doing fun things as a team to give back and would LOVE you to join us in our efforts!
-Nichole T.