Through the home services franchisor’s charity Kids-Lift, franchisees across the network are encouraging their respective communities to give back through the non-profit to supply food to the families who need it most during these difficult times.
Kids-Lift, the nonprofit organization of Charlottesville’s Premium Service Brands (PSB), is supporting families in the Albemarle County School District through a direct food donation program in collaboration with the district’s department of social services. To aid children and families who may be in need of supplies during the pandemic, the nonprofit has donated 200 bags of food over two sessions — once immediately following the closure of schools, filling 80 backpacks of meals for students, and again as the shutdown continued, with the donation of an additional 120 bags of food.
PSB has been able to step up in this time of crisis thanks to Kids-Lift’s previous work with the Albemarle County Public Schools (ACPS) in support of children’s education. This is the second year Kids-Lift has provided weekend backpack meals for kids at Stone-Robinson Elementary School. The non-profit also ran a back-to-school supplies drive in August for Stone-Robinson and Woodbrook Elementary Schools, followed by a food drive in November. Kids-Lift also provides snacks for 13 ACPS schools, donating 5,000 snacks a month to keep kids focused and in class. As the coronavirus crisis unfolded and schools and businesses closed, it was clear that shutting down the schools could mean food insecurity for students.
Paul Flick, founder and CEO of PSB, is the parent of a fifth-grader at Charlottesville’s Stone-Robinson Elementary School. Flick personally went to the local grocery store in order to purchase food and donate it to the school community. Kids-Lift filled 80 backpacks of meals for students when the closures first hit in March and donated another 120 bags of food this month.
Additionally, Kids-Lift is continuing their donations with a Virtual Food Drive launched through their email network and Amazon Wish List. PSB's Amazon Wish List not only includes food, but also essential items that aren’t covered by food stamps, like diapers.
Premium Service Brand franchisees across the network are encouraging members of their respective communities to give back through the non-profit. PSB is also working to offer support for customers and employees in any way possible. According to Flick, as soon as the health risks about the rapidly spreading COVID-19 virus became clear, PSB made several decisions that customers reacted positively towards.
First, with all of their franchises open and operating, PSB made status changes to their brand websites and then set up emails to communicate with previous and potential clients about the steps that each brand was taking to stop the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, the company began pivoting its business models, with three of PSB’s brands, 360° Painting, Handyman Pro, and Renew Crew, offering free virtual estimates to cut down on in-person interactions.
These measures and charity initiatives reassure clients that PSB values, above all, the health and safety of their clients, their employees and their communities.
Paul Flick is the Founder & CEO of Premium Service Brands.