This week, we’d like to give a shout-out to our founder, Chappy Manzer. Giving back has always been part of our philosophy at Manzer’s. While 2020 was a monkey wrench in the lives of most people and many businesses, unfortunately, didn’t make it, our company’s founder Chappy Manzer made a heroic effort to help our community while still serving clients with various projects such as installing a gorgeous new boxwood hedge or new outdoor living spaces and outdoor lighting in Cortlandt Manor and Briarcliff Manor, NY.
One of Chappy’s biggest concerns was keeping the Manzer’s team employed during the pandemic. We’ve seen so many businesses forced to cut staff and lay folks off, and it broke our hearts. Our strategy was to create smaller teams and limit overtime to spread out the workload.
Outside of the company, Manzer’s is involved in the Peekskill Rotary and Hope for Youth. We spearheaded or took part in many initiatives to help those in need during the pandemic and as a regular part of our philosophy of community service:
Manzer’s donated $1500 to BOCES Technical school for a scholarship.
We continued a scholarship fund for graduating seniors.
We started a hot food initiative that ran from April through June thanks to donations from the Peekskill Rotary, Hope for Youth, and private donations. We provided 200 hot meals a week. Residents in need could pick up a hot meal, a drink, and a dessert. Not only did this help the hungry, but it also helped the local restaurants keep business going while they were forced to stop dine-in service.
Our fundraising efforts raised $14K to donate to Technology through Equity to purchase hotspots for remote learning for the Peekskill School District to help kids who otherwise wouldn’t have internet access for remote learning.
We raised $25K through Go Fund Me donations to deliver breakfast, lunch, and dinner to essential workers during the quarantine.
We obtained $50K from Westchester County and designed a Food Voucher Program that paid local restaurants to create a meal that they could offer in a voucher, then for 4 weeks, vouchers were disbursed at a central location in Peekskill.
In December we obtained another $25K from Westchester County and devised another initiative to disperse hot meals and blankets to our neighbors in need.
A member of "GreenCare for Troops", this is a program where our company offers complimentary lawn care when a service member is deployed from the area.
In December, we were proud to have been recognized as Giant Heroes by the New York Giants football team. This initiative celebrates frontline workers for their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic. We were also nominated as a Small Business of the Year in 2020.
This year was a roller coaster for many companies, with most businesses experiencing severe challenges due to Covid-related restrictions. During the pandemic, we have also heightened our commitment to safety. Our precautionary and safety standards meant that we were able to continue providing services to our clients with no layoffs or stoppages.
While we are proud of the recognition we’ve received for our community service, it’s not about that at all. We simply believe in coming together as a community in times of need and that helping one helps all. We are grateful for the support of our many loyal customers and will continue to serve you with pride.
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