This article is the first in a series that we will be running throughout the holiday season shining a bright, well-deserved spotlight on companies that are #GivingBack.

Is your company #GivingBack? Tweet us using the #GivingBack hashtag to @TSNN_com_us and we’ll feature what your company is doing to help make the world a better place!

Several event, exhibit and airline companies are doing their part to give of their time and energy in an effort to help build a kinder and more equitable world.

Last month, representatives from three SMG-managed convention centers teamed up with a dozen Experient – A Maritz Global Events Company team members to volunteer at the Akron/Canton Regional Foodbank in Akron, Ohio.

SMG team members Jacob Hamman, director of sales and marketing at the Century Center of South Bend in Indiana; Suzanne Turgeon, assistant director of sales at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, and Craig Thompson, assistant director of sales at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland drove in to Akron to meet the Experient Twinsburg team members to work together during one of Experient’s “Days of Caring.”

“Volunteering at the Akron/Canton Regional Foodbank was a great opportunity for our company to give back to the community and to assist in feeding people in need,” said Michael Guerriero, Experient division president.

In a clean room at the foodbank, the 18 volunteers worked for four hours scooping, bagging, sealing and packing more than 1,200 two-pound packages of Cocoa Krispies cereal, providing 2,307 meals for needy families in the Akron/Canton area.

Each team member was paired off into a separate station, beginning with the scooping team that broke down 900-pound bulk bags of cereal into 2 lb. bags, after which the bags moved on to three weighing stations to ensure that each bag weighed exactly 2 lbs. The bags were then sealed and boxed up to be shipped throughout the region.

During the four-hour shift, the Experient and SMG team learned to work as a unit with a common goal, something that the two organizations have paired up to do within the convention industry for more than a decade.

For the entire month of November, Delta Air Lines is honoring veterans, active service members and their families by matching customer-donated miles to Fisher House Foundation’s Hero Miles program and Luke’s Wings up to a total of 10 million miles through SkyWish, the charitable arm of Delta’s SkyMiles loyalty program.

Using miles donated through SkyWish, Fisher House Foundation’s Hero Miles program and Luke’s Wings can connect members of the military and their loved ones while they undergo treatment and recovery by providing air travel to injured, ill or wounded service members and veterans, along with their families.

Over the past three years, Delta and its customers have donated more than 138 million miles to these charitable organizations.

“We are extremely grateful to the men and women who currently serve and have served our country,” said Tad Hutcheson, managing director of community engagement for Delta Air Lines.

He continued, “This November and throughout the year, Delta is proud to support members of the military and their families. The need is great when it comes to travel assistance for these heroes and their families. Through our partnerships with Fisher House Foundation and Luke’s Wings, and working alongside our customers, we are able to connect injured service members and veterans with their families as they undergo medical treatment.”

As an organization that has served more than 28,000 families in 2016 alone, Fisher House Foundation provides “a home away from home” for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers by hosting them at no cost at one of the 72 Fisher Houses throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Delta also has supported the construction of the VA Long Beach Fisher House in Long Beach, Calif., and a second Fisher House facility at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Seattle.

Additionally, Delta employees volunteer at Fisher Houses across the country, working to bring cheer to the families staying there.

Since its inception in 2008, Luke’s Wings has enabled families to travel to be with their loved ones during hospitalization and treatment of post-9/11 combat wounded service members, both domestically and internationally.

In 2017, Luke’s Wings expanded its mission to service the loved ones of wounded, ill and injured service members recovering at military medical centers, as well as combat injured veterans who need travel to treatment facilities for follow-on care.

To date, Luke’s Wings has booked one-third of its flights using miles donated through Delta’s SkyWish program.

With supporting active military and veterans a key pillar of Delta’s community engagement, the airline also supports the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation; Marine Toys for Tots; Serving Our Troops; the USO and airport military lounges, including the Freedom Center in Detroit and the Minnesota Armed Forces Service Center.

Alongside other volunteer opportunities, Delta employees can volunteer as a part of the Honor Guard, a group that meets incoming flights and pays respect to those who have sacrificed their lives for their country.

In addition, about 3,000 Delta employees are members of the U.S. Armed Forces and approximately 10,000 veterans are employed at Delta.

To learn more about the SkyWish program and to donate miles, go HERE.

Throughout this past year, Orbus Exhibit & Display Group, suppliers of portable modular and custom modular exhibit and display products, graphics and solutions, has been busy contributing to several local and nationwide organizations.

Most recently, Orbus fundraised for The Andrew Grene Foundation (AGF), founded in 2010 by one of Orbus’ Board Chairmen, Tim Perutz.

Dedicated in the honor of Perutz’s childhood friend, Andrew Grene, the foundation provides educational services and financial aid to those living in Haiti.

Since its founding, more than 300 students have received a full-time education and more than 1,600 women have received assistance in developing their own businesses.

Last August, Orbus held a nacho bar fundraiser to raise money for AGF, during which employees were encouraged to spend their lunch hour in Orbus’ cafeteria and purchase nachos.

All proceeds went to AGF and the company raised more than $400, funds that were used to sponsor school children in Haiti by providing them with lunches, school supplies and uniforms.

Orbus also raised funds for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation through the sale of Shamrock Grams in the first half of March. As a way to send a smile to coworkers, the Shamrock Grams were distributed on St. Patrick’s Day and helped the company raise more than $1,300.

In addition, Orbus contributed to the St. Joseph Carpenter Society, a non-profit organization focused on creating safe neighborhoods and successful ownership in New Jersey, and the Peabody Elementary School in St. Louis.

Orbus partnered with FASTSIGNS International Inc. to donate funds and supplies to build Back to School backpacks, which were given to Peabody students at the beginning of the fall semester.

“We place emphasis on the importance of community,” said Giles Douglas, Orbus president and CEO. “We are always willing to take part in an opportunity to help those in the community around us and in causes close to our hearts.”