Maaco has a longstanding history of supporting and honoring military families. With Memorial Day on May 29, Maaco is reflecting on the heroic military families it has come across through the years.
Since 2018, the Maaco Foundation has worked alongside its franchisees, customers, employees and vendors to support the nation’s military families and their resiliency in partnership with Operation Homefront. Maaco’s partnership with Operation Homefront has taken the form of a variety of community events. The goal is to raise awareness and action towards Operation Homefront’s vital work of building strong, stable and secure military families so they can thrive---not simply struggle to get by---in the communities they have worked so hard to protect.
Recent support for Operation Homefront included a co-sponsored grand opening event for Maaco Martinsburg in West Virginia. The community-focused event allowed hundreds of individuals to explore the new Maaco shop and educate themselves on the noble mission of Operation Homefront.
Collaboration with Operation Homefront has also manifested as recurring food drives. For example, a fall 2019 initiative saw the donation of 150 meal kits for military families in the Fort Lauderdale, FL, area. The following year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Maaco pivoted to a virtual means of donation and encouraged the network to directly sponsor meals through charitable giving. In November 2022, Maaco used its network during the 50th anniversary convention to complete a food drive, where attendees worked together to package more than 200 baskets of food to be donated to veteran and/or active-duty members and their families in the San Diego area.
Maaco’s support for military families also extends to the children of military families. For instance, a 2021 holiday season partnership with Operation Homefront saw the donation of more than 130 toys for children on the Fort Bragg military base.
Outside of Operation Homefront, Maaco has also initiated customer campaigns to honor the bravery of veterans and military families. At the beginning of 2023, Maaco conducted its first-ever “Love Your Car” campaign, where one lucky customer was gifted a free paint job. This “surprise and delight” effort allowed Maaco owners across the country to nominate deserving customers for this gift.
The winning nominee came from Pete Schwartz, owner of Maaco Greenville, who completed an estimate for the Veterans of Foreign Wars post 7032 located in Greenville, NC. This century-old nonprofit organization is dedicated to advocating for all U.S. veterans and veteran families to ensure they are respected for their selfless service. In addition, it boasts several posts across the U.S. and more than 1.5 million members.
The execution of the “Love Your Car” campaign resulted in Maaco Greenville gifting the organization with a freshly painted 1941 U.S. Army cannon boom. Although the campaign was to help a customer love their car again, at Maaco, each team is dedicated to helping their customers and restoring their car, or other items, to what they used to know and love.
“At Maaco, we paint anything, but this project was special because it filled my team and I with so much pride,” said Schwartz. “Seeing how everyone jumped right in to tackle this project was incredible. I look forward to continuing our efforts in giving back to our deserving community.”
Since 2021, Maaco has been a member of the Department of Defense Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP). The program works to connect military spouses with partner employers who are committed to recruiting, hiring and nurturing the careers of military spouses. Programs like MSEP have allowed Maaco to connect directly with military families and aid in finding jobs for those who may have lost their loved ones.
Maaco is also a proud partner of the National Auto Body Council (NABC) and its Recycled Rides initiative. Recycled Rides is a unique program that leans on businesses in the collision repair industry to repair and donate vehicles to veteran community members in need. Numerous Maaco locations have participated in the program, with the most recent gifting in Texas from Maaco Plano and Maaco Wylie. The recipient was a veteran who will use her donated vehicle to finish pursuing her undergraduate degree.
“Many of our employees and franchisees within the Maaco family have served and given their lives to the military, so causes like these are very close to our heart,” said Daryl Hurst, president of Maaco. “I am deeply proud of our Maaco family and our communities for pledging their support for these initiatives.”
To date, Maaco is proud to have raised more than $100,000 for military families through its charitable initiatives over the years. This would not be made possible without the incredible support of the locally owned and operated network of shops, who place an emphasis on giving back to their local communities and uplifting military families.
Source: Maaco
