MATTER was founded on a simple, yet profound, question our founders, Dennis and Megan Doyle, asked themselves nearly twenty years ago: “What do we have our own two hands to help others?”
For the Doyles, it was empty warehouse space. Attempting to connect needs to resources, they began to fill their warehouse with life-saving medical equipment and supplies to put into the hands of people who needed them most.
MATTER flourishes today because thousands of people have asked themselves this same question. Together, with everyone leveraging their unique skills and resources, over 11 million people have been impacted worldwide in the last three years alone.
When Steve Brehm, owner of Berry Coffee Company, a premier office coffee service in Minneapolis, asked himself what he had in his own to hands, his answer, not surprisingly, was coffee.
How does one leverage their coffee company as a force for good? In Steve’s case, he created a special MATTER blend coffee to build MATTER brand awareness and raise funds for MATTER.
Steve’s partnership with MATTER first began in MATTER’s early days when it was known as Hope for the City. Serving nearly ten years on the board of directors was a life-changing experience for him.
“I was shown a world filled with needs that can be fulfilled by a lot of people working together and sharing the same vision. The Doyles’ vision was shaped and reshaped during my tenure at MATTER, but in the end it was still all about pulling together unused resources and redistributing them to those in need.”
Steve’s desire to help others started early in his life as he watched his Dad’s example of serving his family and community.
“When I was in junior high there was a devastating tornado that hit a small town near our cabin in northern Minnesota. My Dad said, ‘Grab your chain saw and let’s see what we can do to help out.’ We spent the next two days working side by side with the DNR helping search for victims and clearing roads for emergency vehicles. That was the first time I really understood that I can make a difference with my own two hands. My father’s influence showed me first-hand how.”
Like all of our distinguished Companies That MATTER, Berry Coffee Company understands the value of giving back to the community and the joy that is found in serving others.
What do you have in your own two hands?
This is a question everyone can ask of themselves. For some, the answer is warehouse space. For others, it’s a coffee company. For still others, it’s free time to pack MATTERboxes that will be distributed to hungry families or used in cooking classes to teach youth the importance of health and nutrition. Some have answered the question by using their knowledge and skills to refurbish old tractors for MATTER’s agriculture projects.
The truth is, everyone has something in their own two hands that can be leveraged for the benefit of others. We here at MATTER believe that together, with all of us using our unique skills and resources, we truly can change the world – one person, one family, and one community at a time.
In these waning hours of 2018, there is still time to do something to help others. Your year-end gift to MATTER will help us reach 50,000 more people. Every $1 donated gives the gift of health and hope to someone who needs it most. Will you help increase our collective impact by making a donation now? Learn more here.
From all of us at MATTER, thank you for your support in 2018, and may you have a very Happy New Year!
