A City Electric Supply Land o’Lakes employee recently donated his holiday gift budget to those in need in his community.
TAMPA, FL – For two decades, City Electric Supply Land O’Lakes Outside Sales Rep Jim Dahmer has put aside cash to buy holiday gifts for his customers as a way to say thank you for their business. But he decided to do things a little differently this past December. City Electric Supply (CES) is excited to share that Dahmer donated his holiday gift budget to nonprofit organizations in Tampa. The idea came to him when he spotted the food line outside of Metropolitan Ministries.
“Driving past Metropolitan Ministries, I saw a lot of people in line to get food,” said CES Land o’ Lakes Outside Sales Rep Jim Dahmer. “I saw people from every walk of life affected, and it broke my heart.”
In that moment, Dahmer knew he had to do something to help those in need. “Instead of giving something to the guys who are working, I donated that money to charities,” said Dahmer. “My customers thought it was a great idea, too.”
And the customers were not only supportive of his decision, they even requested to join Dahmer’s mission the following year. “My customers were just as energetic as me,” said Dahmer. “We all wanted the money to go where it could do the most good. I donated to the Humane Society and the Children’s Home Network here in Tampa.”
That act of kindness encouraged others who knew Dahmer to also give back, including one of his customers who decided to also give back to a local nonprofit as a gift to him. “Wayne Morrow of KW Morrow and Sons Electric was already giving to Feeding America,” said Dahmer. “When he heard what I did, he used the money he would have put toward a gift for me to donate to them. I was glad. I just know the money will go further with an organization like that.”
Seeing others give back made Dahmer happy. “It feels good being able to help, even if it’s just a little bit. A little bit can go a long way,” said Dahmer. “The biggest thing is — if you think something needs to be done, do something.”
The day after he donated to the two organizations, he received an email from City Electric Supply with a very special announcement. “The day after I donated, I got an email about CES helping Make-A-Wish. I think it’s nice that we do that,” said Dahmer. “I still think local branches should get involved in their own communities, but I love seeing what CES is doing across the country. It inspires me to do more here. I also think the more we do, the more we inspire others to do the same.”
Dahmer hopes the charitable giving he’s seeing only continues in 2021. “I want things to change in 2021, of course, and for us to return to some sort of normalcy,” said Dahmer. “But I hope the charitable giving doesn’t stop. I hope we keep thinking about what we can do for others.”
City Electric Supply couldn’t be prouder of Dahmer’s commitment to help individuals within his community. We hope those who read his story are encouraged to pay it forward in 2021 with simple acts of kindness.
CES is dedicated to providing personalized service and support for customers in the residential, commercial, and industrial marketplace.
