Heat Doesn’t Keep Chick-fil-A Out of the Kitchen

Pictured from L to R: Chick-fil-A Employees, Aimee Baptiste, Kevin Hiden, Maddie Schultz,Cody Davidson, Naomi Byrne, Emily Anspach, Kartwright Asnip, Leighanne Brown, Monal Karkhanis, Eric Barnes, Howard Garner, Keith Nelson, Brandy Hardin, Drew Laird, Shawn Byrne, Clara Rankin (RTKC Board), Ernie Miller, Zack Schmitt (RTKC Program Coordinator).

When Rebuilding Together Kent County’s Executive Director, Genevieve Croker, first got a call from Chick-fil-A Regional Facilities Manager, Kevin Hiden, she wasn’t sure whether she’d be able to accommodate their volunteer group. Kevin, who has a home near Rock Hall, had been chatting with a  local friend, Cathy, about his company’s commitment to giving back and wondering if there was a nearby nonprofit that could be a good fit. Cathy immediately thought of Rebuilding and their work to ensure more of our neighbors live in safe and healthy homes. She put Kevin in touch with Genevieve and after several conversations, they found the perfect project for their volunteers: clearing out a home for a senior in MIllington!

As a result, on Tuesday, July 9th, 17 volunteers from up and down the Eastern Seaboard converged on the VFW Memorial Post #652 in Millington to get their marching orders and their PPE (personal protective equipment). With some folks flying in from Atlanta that morning, the group wasn’t able to start until 11am, allowing the temperature to climb to uncomfortable heights. Did this stop this crew? It didn’t even slow them down! With pop tents for shade, regular rest breaks, and about six dozen bottles of chilled water, this group of Chick-fil-A super-employees handled the task at hand in short order. With respect for the neighbor’s belongings, they removed anything that couldn’t be salvaged and carefully wrapped and boxed what was going back in the home. In all, they were able to clear unsalvageable items from bedrooms, the kitchen, living and dining rooms, enabling Rebuilding Together’s team to determine what the next repair steps will be for this home. Without this group, further evaluation would have likely stalled until much later in 2024.

In addition to the trust of our neighbors and the generous donation of lunch space and bathroom access from the VFW, Rebuilding Together Kent County is grateful that these kind and caring strangers came into our community and left as new friends. As Kevin said, “This was a great way to bring together people from all over the East Coast to get to know each other in person and engage in a really meaningful team-building activity.” If you or your organization wishes to volunteer with Rebuilding Together Kent County, please email [email protected] to learn more about ways to get involved. From repairs, to sharing program information at events, to administering their county-wide housing survey, they will work to find a good fit for your skills and interests.