This holiday season, we wanted to shine a spotlight on a Teslar teammate who is doing great work for our Northwest Arkansas community through his food drive initiative, Operation: Stuff It NWA.
Food banks are hit hard right now, seeing more need than usual, especially with the holidays approaching. People who are already struggling may face even more difficulty when trying to provide a holiday meal for their family. Such an amplified need called for amplified support from food drives like Operation: Stuff It NWA.
To learn more, we asked Drake a few questions about this initiative and its impact.
Can you share what Operation: Stuff It NWA focuses on and who it helps in our community?
Operation: Stuff It NWA is a community-run initiative that focuses on feeding local families and individuals in need. The initiative gathers and donates non-perishable food items and partners with NWA Food Bank to distribute throughout the community.
We’re trying to help anyone in our community who might be less fortunate, going through hard times, or just can’t afford groceries. It can be hard during the holidays, both financially and with social pressures. Sometimes families must decide between getting presents, warm clothing, or feeding their family.
NWA Food Bank steps in and gives people the ability to feed entire families for free. So, we donate things to help them make it through the holidays. Not just non-perishable food items, but things like pet food and little necessities like can openers can be really helpful as well. You know, canned foods are popular items to donate, but how the heck do you get a can open? Not everyone has those tools.
What inspired you to get involved with this volunteer work during the holiday season?
Growing up, my grandparents always said the key to happiness is a good meal. I had the opportunity to work with food banks and homeless outreach programs when I was younger, where I got to see firsthand how much impact it can have.
I do think food is kind of a secret to making people happy. It’s hard to be upset on a full stomach. Getting to supply people with nourishment and taking away that worry, seeing that face light up firsthand when you give them a meal—it’s hard to replicate that. It’s awesome.
How has volunteering shaped the way you see the holidays?
The holidays can be a tough time for me, so I want to support others who might need a little help to make this time of year a good, happy time.
What role do you personally play in the effort, and what does that look like in practice?
When I first started this a couple of years ago, I did it by myself. I would purchase items at Sam’s Club, then drive around different places to hand out the food. But then I realized that it was unscalable, and by myself I’m only impacting maybe 20-30 people per year.
I reached out to NWA Food Bank and was able to partner with them to gain a broader impact. Over the years it has expanded, with more members of the community involved, more items donated, and it’s distributed more widely to supply around twenty area food banks, not just one location.
How has Teslar supported or encouraged your involvement?
We are a community that cares for each other and supports one another. This is the first year I’ve reached out at work, and it’s really been great. We’ve tripled the amount of goods donated from last year already. I look forward to bringing Teslar on again next year.
If someone wants to support this effort or get involved, what’s the best way for them to jump in?
There are lots of ways to get involved. If you are local to NWA or want to support Operation: Stuff It specifically, you can reach out to me directly or donate funds to NWA Food Bank. I also encourage you to start your own thing in your area or partner with local food banks. Every bit helps.
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