In honor of the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (NCACPA) 100th Anniversary, they introduced 100 Days of Service. MSA took this 100 Days of Service literally with our personal goal to complete 100 Acts of Service. Employees were encouraged to participate in acts of kindness individually and as a group with the idea that each one of us going out and serving organizations and people around us can cumulatively affect many more lives. Our inspiration was that hopefully those we served will feel inspired to go out and “pay it forward” as well, having an exponential effect! We well surpassed our goal of 100 acts with more than 240 acts of service spread across our 57 employees. Over the 100 days, we paid for strangers’ food in grocery stores, took baked goods to the sick, packed shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, donated canned goods, sent encouraging cards, gave blood, and so much more. As a group, we donated peanut butter and jelly for the Wilkes County Food Drive, participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s and organized duty-free lunch for W.A. Young Elementary School.
As our grand finale for the NCACPA 100 Days of Service and our 100 Acts of Service, we organized a blanket drive for the Hickory Soup Kitchen. Over 126 blankets were donated and distributed with Christmas cheer. The individuals at the soup kitchen were excited with the opportunity to pick out whichever blanket they wanted, taking the time to choose the softest one in their favorite color! A most precious moment was when a young child spotted a light purple “Frozen-themed” blanket, ran up to it, and hugged it in pure joy. Mia Snipes, MSA HR Director, said, “Disbursing the blankets and seeing their smiles made me happy, but seeing the amount of men, women and children in need was heart-breaking. What a rewarding experience; I left feeling so proud of our staff for pulling off this project and feeling blessed and grateful for food, shelter, and employment. Executive Director, Austin Pearce, his staff, and the numerous volunteers do a fantastic job feeding, sheltering and giving love and support to those less fortunate locally. Consider volunteering your time, talent or monetary resources.” One thing MSA employees will take away from these service experiences is that kindness does not end here; we can pay it forward every day of the year.e
Please click here to see how you can help the Hickory Soup Kitchen, or call 828-327-4828.
Submitted by: Claire Chase