A trifecta of Richmond-area business have teamed up to make a sizeable donation of basic household items to homelessness support organization HomeAgain.

Recently, three Richmond-area businesses joined forces to create “Operation Fix It” — a small business initiative that organized a donation of over 1,000 rolls of paper towels to a local shelter.

HomeAgain is a Richmond-based organization that helps families and individuals experiencing homelessness secure and maintain housing.  Paper towels, along with other basic household items, are usually budgeted items that HomeAgain pays for out of pocket. But 91 cents of every dollar donated to the organization goes directly to their housing programs, so every donation they receive helps them focus on funding those programs.

Lorae Ponder, HomeAgain’s executive director, said the generosity of the donation will have a sizeable impact on the organization’s day-to-day operations.

“Although 1,000 rolls of toilet paper may seem like something trivial to the average Richmonder,” Ponder said, “it’s not something people experiencing homelessness take for granted. We couldn’t be more thankful for this generous donation.”

In 2018, HomeAgain provided housing to 768 men, women, children, seniors, and veterans. 74% of individuals exited HomeAgain services directly into stable, affordable housing.

Operation Fix It was created by the partnership of the Linchpin Real Estate Group, Ambrose Chiropractic, and The Great Big Everything (TGBE). TGBE is a creative consulting group geared towards creating futures for nonprofits and community organizations.

Prabir Mehta, owner of TGBE, said the organization hopes the efforts of Operation Fix It become a yearly event.

“The dream is to get enough small businesses together to help some of our nonprofits feel less stressed about some of their day-to-day needs,” Mehta said, “so they can focus on doing what they do best – serving their missions.”

For more information on The Great Big Everything’s efforts, visit their website or follow them on facebook.

Photo courtesy The Great Big Everything