Retail Observer

N ationwide Marketing Group made a simple commitment. The buying, marketing and business services group for independent appliance, furniture, consumer electronics, bedding and outdoor dealers committed to give back each time they came together. And at the two PrimeTime events in 2018 where the group's members, vendors, and staff came together in unprecedented numbers, the impact was immense. Nationwide's partnership with No Child Hungry, the meal distribution arm of respected charity My Neighbor's Children, saw over 300,000 meals for hungry kids hand packed by those in attendance at PrimeTime shows in Orlando and Las Vegas. A large portion of the meals packed were distributed in the host cities, with 47,000 distributed in Orlando and 104,000 in Las Vegas. The balance of the meals were shipped to Haiti, where child hunger remains a dire concern. As the events unfolded, the level of commitment was raised. Members encouraged the Nationwide Leadership Team to increase the group's No Child Hungry investment with hands-on, in-the-field participation and a first-hand evaluation of needs. As a result, Nationwide sent a team of nine volunteers, led by President Tom Hickman to visit orphanages and food distribution venues throughout Haiti, and to work in support of No Child Hungry. According to Hickman, "It's an honor to represent Nationwide's members, vendors and staff to deliver the fruits of their labors to children in need. We know that our members are making a daily difference in the 14,000 communities they serve across the U.S., and with the scale of the collective group, the efforts mean a huge impact both locally and globally." As the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and after dealing with devastating natural disasters in recent years, Haiti is home to a population of children whose acute need has touched the members and staff of Nationwide. Hickman said, "It's hard to describe the experience of working alongside the No Child Hungry team in Haiti. Even when considering hundreds of thousands of meals, the difference was measured in small moments. The smiles on the faces of those children as food was placed in their hands sum it up better than any words and made evident how powerful the effort of so many people working together to make a difference has been." William Lowry, President of No Child Hungry, reflected on the effort, sharing, "We believe hunger is an unnecessary obstacle in the lives of many people in our world, and that no child should go to bed hungry! It is nowhere more apparent than in the country of Haiti, still one of the poorest countries in the world. The only way to overcome this life-taking menace is by attacking it on two fronts. First, we must meet the immediate need, and second, we must develop sustainable sources of food where they don't exist. In our efforts to meet the immediate need, we rely on faithful partners who care about the children of the world. Nationwide Marketing Group and its members are one of those very important partners. They are not only on the forefront of providing nutritious meals in significant numbers, but they back those efforts with real boots on the ground. Their recent trip to Haiti to distribute the meals that so many worked together to pack not only helped keep kids alive but brought a powerful hope to thousands of people through their sacrifice of time and resources and many efforts of compassion. We are proud to work together with Nationwide and its membership to make a difference in the lives of some very special kids!" Nationwide's Mike Whitaker added, "Interacting with these amazing kids is both inspiring and humbling. The feedback from our members has been overwhelming and completely positive. The commitments we've made that enable the success of independent dealers are steadfast, and the commitment to give back is no different. We're already working with and in service to our members, and the program will continue in 2019. Opportunities for participation outside of PrimeTime will increase, as many members have expressed a desire to carry this important initiative in their local markets. The opportunity to support the full-time efforts of the great team at No Child Hungry is both humbling and inspiring, and that's been expressed across our membership, our partners and our team." Nationwide, on behalf of its members, will be introducing more investment and support for No Child Hungry, and show those efforts the organization supports at winter PrimeTime in mid-February. Please visit Nationwide Marketing Group's Facebook Page at www.fb.com/nationwidegroup for extensive pictures and videos from the trip to Haiti. RO

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