Giving Back: The Victory Team Donate Much-Needed Supplies to Help the Homeless
On Oct. 25, Seabolt real estate agents Michael Brannin and Craig Simpson donated 30 sleeping bags and 25 tents to the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless. Known professionally as the Victory Team, Simpson and Brannin have been donating these items to help the homeless for six years. Over time, they’ve donated more than 250 supplies. It all started in 2016 with a simple email.
“We had a good friend send us an email telling us that there was a need for tents and sleeping bags for the homeless population because there was a cold front coming through. So we went ahead and scavenged all the stores [to] find some items and put them together really quickly. Then in 2017, we thought we should do this as a team project. And we have been doing it ever since,” Simpson explained.
For the dynamic duo, these donations serve their genuine desire to give back to the community and make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate. And for Simpson, housing insecurity really hits home.
“Back in the 90s, my parents got caught in a health benefit situation where they lost their health insurance and because of that, they ended up losing their farm,” he explained.
He recalled how the community came together to support his family during that difficult time.
“They were able to avoid homelessness because of the way that the community stepped up and helped them out. . . We were very fortunate because the community gave. And that’s one of my main drives for giving back, because of what happened to my family,” said Simpson.
Serving the homeless population felt like a natural fit for the Victory Team.
“Our business is to sell real estate . . . and we started to think, what about the people who don’t have a home? We felt it was really important and kind of an augment to our business of finding people homes to do something for the homeless,” Brannin explained.
They presented the tents and sleeping bags to Laurie Ross, the resource distributor for the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless. She was very happy to receive them.
“We are so grateful and appreciative to the Seabolt Victory Team and all of our donors because without them, we would really be challenged to provide resources to the homeless,” she said.
Ross identifies needs through her network of service partner providers and works to ensure that resources are distributed appropriately to fill those needs.
“Our primary goal is to make sure that resources that are available will actually get to where they need to go,” she stated.
She said certain items like tents, sleeping bags, backpacks and shoes are needed year-round, but there are also certain items that are needed as the seasons change, for example coats for the winter and sunglasses for the warmer months.
Ross encourages community members who want to donate do so through organizations like homeless authority rather than bringing items directly to homeless camps. While well intentioned, direct drop-offs of unneeded items can create trash problems and other hazards.
Brannin and Simpson are happy to partner with the CSAH to ensure that their donations are making the most impact. They hope to inspire others to donate what they can to help the unsheltered.
“All you have to do is drive around Savannah for a while and you will see the need,” said Simpson. “Our purpose is to spread the word and give somebody else the thought. That’s how it happened for us. Somebody sent us an email and look what it’s bloomed into from that one email, so we’re hoping that this will do the same thing,” he continued.
They encourage those with the capacity to give to help the homeless by supporting CSAH and similar organizations with goods and monetary donations. To learn more about the CSAH and how you can donate, visit homelessauthority.org/donate/.
On Oct. 25, Seabolt real estate agents Michael Brannin and Craig Simpson donated 30 sleeping bags and 25 tents to the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless. Known professionally as the Victory Team, Simpson and Brannin have been donating these items to help the homeless for six years. Over time, they’ve donated more than 250 supplies. It all started in 2016 with a simple email.
“We had a good friend send us an email telling us that there was a need for tents and sleeping bags for the homeless population because there was a cold front coming through. So we went ahead and scavenged all the stores [to] find some items and put them together really quickly. Then in 2017, we thought we should do this as a team project. And we have been doing it ever since,” Simpson explained.
For the dynamic duo, these donations serve their genuine desire to give back to the community and make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate. And for Simpson, housing insecurity really hits home.
“Back in the 90s, my parents got caught in a health benefit situation where they lost their health insurance and because of that, they ended up losing their farm,” he explained.
He recalled how the community came together to support his family during that difficult time.
“They were able to avoid homelessness because of the way that the community stepped up and helped them out. . . We were very fortunate because the community gave. And that’s one of my main drives for giving back, because of what happened to my family,” said Simpson.
Serving the homeless population felt like a natural fit for the Victory Team.
“Our business is to sell real estate . . . and we started to think, what about the people who don’t have a home? We felt it was really important and kind of an augment to our business of finding people homes to do something for the homeless,” Brannin explained.
They presented the tents and sleeping bags to Laurie Ross, the resource distributor for the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless. She was very happy to receive them.
“We are so grateful and appreciative to the Seabolt Victory Team and all of our donors because without them, we would really be challenged to provide resources to the homeless,” she said.
Ross identifies needs through her network of service partner providers and works to ensure that resources are distributed appropriately to fill those needs.
“Our primary goal is to make sure that resources that are available will actually get to where they need to go,” she stated.
She said certain items like tents, sleeping bags, backpacks and shoes are needed year-round, but there are also certain items that are needed as the seasons change, for example coats for the winter and sunglasses for the warmer months.
Ross encourages community members who want to donate do so through organizations like homeless authority rather than bringing items directly to homeless camps. While well intentioned, direct drop-offs of unneeded items can create trash problems and other hazards.
Brannin and Simpson are happy to partner with the CSAH to ensure that their donations are making the most impact. They hope to inspire others to donate what they can to help the unsheltered.
“All you have to do is drive around Savannah for a while and you will see the need,” said Simpson. “Our purpose is to spread the word and give somebody else the thought. That’s how it happened for us. Somebody sent us an email and look what it’s bloomed into from that one email, so we’re hoping that this will do the same thing,” he continued.
They encourage those with the capacity to give to help the homeless by supporting CSAH and similar organizations with goods and monetary donations. To learn more about the CSAH and how you can donate, visit homelessauthority.org/donate/.
