Giving Anytime: Coming Together to Give Back

At Anytime Storage Property Management, we have an amazing team. They’re friends, and a lot of them hang out together after hours. Even though we manage facilities across multiple states, the majority of our team works in one centralized office in East Texas. For the most part, everyone grew up there, and our team members are already heavily involved in the community.

We wanted to do something where we could all come together and give back. That’s how Giving Anytime began. Our idea was to spotlight a team member and have everyone pitch in to support a cause that matters to them. We originally planned to do it once a year, but after our first project went so well, we decided to make it twice a year. We’re excited!

Starting with Kelly and a Cause Close to Her Heart

For our first Giving Anytime project, we chose our team member Kelly. She’s literally been with Anytime Storage since day one, back when we only had two facilities. She was our very first customer service person, and she did everything: answered phones, walked tenants around, and served as our boots on the ground. She wore many hats, and many of our longtime tenants still ask for her.

As we’ve grown, Kelly has become our director of facilities. She manages the caretakers who serve as our boots on the ground across all of our facilities. Her role has changed over the years, but she’s always been a core member of our team.

Kelly has always loved animals, especially dogs. She’s had anywhere from two to five dogs at a time, and she regularly supports our local animal shelter by volunteering and bringing supplies they desperately need. Supporting the shelter felt like a natural choice for our first project.

A Team Effort, with Family Joining In

In the month leading up to our volunteer day, we started collecting supplies at our office. Our team members were bringing donations in: dog food, paper towels, waste bags, and all kinds of items the shelter could use. Some family members donated supplies, too, and we were able to bring everything to the shelter on the day of our visit.

We also invited family members to come serve with us, and a couple of spouses joined in. Everyone wore their Giving Anytime shirts, and it was fun to have our families be part of it.

To keep our call center running, we split our team into a morning group and an afternoon group. This gave everyone on our team a chance to participate throughout the day.

Walking Dogs, Washing Bowls, and an Unexpected Delivery

At the shelter, we walked dogs and helped wash food bowls, water bowls, and litter pans. We were all there to support wherever we could.

Then something happened that we hadn’t planned for. The day we were there turned out to be the day the shelter received two semi-trucks full of dog and cat food, their supply for the entire year!

The city had provided a storage unit for the shelter, so we all drove over, helped unload the food, and stored it inside. It was kind of perfect timing. After we got all the supplies set up, we went back to the shelter, toured the facility, and learned more about ways we could keep helping.

There was definitely some sweat involved. It’s Texas, and it was hot! But it was a blast. Everyone had so much fun, and we’ll probably go back next year to help with their storage needs again.

Giving Anytime Reaches Beyond East Texas

We have a few remote team members, and they were able to get involved, too. My marketing assistant, Christine, is in the Philippines. She visited a local shelter in her area so she could participate from there.

She had a blast and told us she finally overcame her fear of dogs. It was great to see her be part of Giving Anytime, even from so far away.

Looking Ahead to the Holidays

We’ve already picked our next spotlight team member, and we’ll start planning the next Giving Anytime project soon. We haven’t chosen a cause yet. We’ll ask him what he wants to support, but we’re looking at doing something around the holiday season.

The holidays can be a great time for many people, but they can also be hard for others. We think it's the perfect time for our team to come together again and do something for the community.

Inspired to Start a Giving Back Program of Your Own? 

Anytime Storage Property Management Director of Marketing, Sydney Marsolan, welcomes the opportunity to share more about Giving Anytime and how the Anytime Storage Property Management team got started.

Whether you have questions, want to exchange ideas, or simply want to connect, reach out by call or text at 903.475.2873 or email sydney@anytimestorage.com. A simple conversation could be the first step toward making a difference in your own community!