Toro: More than 20 Years of Supporting Bridging
By Marnie Wells and Joel Bisser
More than 20 years after The Toro Company (TTC) first partnered with Bridging, TTC employees are still passionate about supporting such an impactful organization in its community. The partnership began back in 2004 with a simple but important product donation of a Workman utility vehicle. After that donation, volunteer events were coordinated for employees to visit Bridging to learn about housing stability and sort and organize household materials for families seeking housing stability.
“The Toro Company believes strongly in giving back to our communities and supporting organizations that share its values.” said Marnie Wells, President of The Toro Company Foundation. “Bridging is an incredible resource, helping to provide stability and creating a solid foundation for the future. We are extremely grateful for our long-standing relationship and our teams look forward to continuing to support Bridging’s mission. Community support is core to our culture and our efforts reflect a dedication to action and engagement that enriches the lives, communities, industries, and land we serve.”
At the heart of The Toro Company is a commitment to people.
TTC employees are encouraged to engage and support individual areas of interest through volunteerism at local nonprofit organizations. Teams of TTC employees regularly volunteer with charitable and civic groups to complete beautification, preservation, water conservation, community health and housing, and youth enrichment projects.
In Bloomington, TTC global headquarters, there is a well-established volunteer force that supports local volunteer partnerships and programs. In 2022 alone, employees contributed over 7,700 volunteer hours across the globe!
Through its many volunteer partnerships and programs, TTC employees develop long-lasting relationships that strengthen the spaces and places where they live and work. The Toro Company also collaborates with community organizations to leverage its resources and skills to create a lasting positive impact.
Demonstrating its commitment to community service and volunteerism, The Toro Company annually provides employees up to 20 hours of volunteer time off during the workday, which allows teams the opportunity work together in building furniture for Bridging, helping on construction of a new house for Habitat for Humanity, or delivering food for Meals on Wheels.
Toro was one of the first large organizations to return to volunteering with Bridging and dresser sponsorship after the 2020 COVID related closures. In fact, just since 2022, Toro has donated electric lawnmowers for Bridging’s Silent Auction at the annual Gala and sponsored almost 120 dressers assembled by over 70 volunteers that served over 200 hours!
“Working together to contribute to and engage with our communities has built a strong foundation for employees to collaborate both in and out of work,” Marnie says.
Bridging is appreciative of Toro’s more than 20 years of partnership, service, and support for its mission and for their commitment to positive impact and change in their community.
