Santa’s elves and the team at Sutton – Premier Realty share something in common: all year round they are busy preparing for Christmas! Not only does this team turn almost any gathering into an opportunity to collect donations for charity, in this year’s REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive, their office was a drop-off location for winter clothing and blankets. As a result of their efforts, more people in need will stay warm this winter and 12 local families will enjoy a Christmas day filled with festive meals and gifts for the children.
“One of our fundraisers in progress now is the sale of Save-on gift cards,” says Manny Sraw, the Office Administrator. “It’s a great charity fundraiser—the grocery store gives us a small percentage back based on how many gift cards we purchase. We hope to raise enough in cash back to help out two to three families at Christmas next year. This is open to the public and people just need to contact me to arrange the purchase.”
Their inaugural Halloween party this autumn attracted 45 ghoulish guests and raised $1,400. That money went into their Surrey Christmas Bureau fund. Sutton – Premier Realty has raised more than $4,200 so that they can buy each family approximately $350 worth of toys and food. “Soon we will receive contact information for the families so that the REALTORS® can find out what’s on the children’s wish lists,” says Manny. “They’ll also ask about the family size and food preferences. The REALTORS® do the shopping then we’ll fill hampers with gifts and enough food for the families to enjoy three nice meals on Christmas day.”
As the office sits down to their own holiday meal on December 18, 2015, they’ll fill a basket for the food bank. In addition to donating, team members are personally involved at the Surrey Food Bank. Every two months, 10 volunteers complete a four-hour shift helping to distribute items to thousands of people who rely on the service.
Pictured: Kelvin Neufeld, a Surrey Food Bank representative and Larry Anderson at a business mixer.
