The Granite Group, a Concord, New Hampshire-based distributor of plumbing, heating, cooling, water and propane supplies launched its "TGG Cares" committee in 2019. Featuring team members helping out from all over New England, TGG Cares is tasked with finding ways to give back and help Granite Group branches support the communities they serve.

This summer, with COVID-19 restricting workout options and leaving a lot of people looking for creative ways to stay in shape, TGG Cares launched its "Virtual 5K" initiative. The goal was simple, get outside and put in a 5K of team members' choice (hiking, biking, running, walking, kayaking —it didn't matter, if they went 5K, it counted!) and TGG Cares would match each 5K (up to a max of 10) with a $25 donation to a local food bank.

To verify their progress, TGG Cares asked team members participating to send along their route, a picture if they had it, and how many 5Ks they had done. When it was all said and done, there were entries submitted from every state in New England helping to raise a grand total of $4,175 for local food banks.

"Because of the pandemic, we've had to adjust the way we approached supporting our communities and like many other organizations in our situation, we turned to technology to help us launch our Virtual 5k initiative. Between smartphones, online maps and fitness apps, it made it super easy for our team members to share their efforts and help us track progress. In addition to raising a lot of money for local food banks through this initiative, we also had the goal of encouraging our team members to safely get outside to exercise. I'm very proud to say we were successful on both counts!" said Monica Apgar, The Granite Group's people experience manager and TGG Cares chair.

Habitat for Humanity, Family Promise of Greater Concord, NH Make-A-Wish, The Salvation Army, Groton Human Services, Hurricane Dorian Relief Fund, Greater Lowell Food Pantry and Families in Transition are just some of the fantastic organizations that have benefited from TGG Cares.