Charitable giving and volunteer efforts support Afghan refugees, education, sustainable forestry and DE&I initiatives
Meritage Homes, the sixth-largest homebuilder in the U.S., is committed to creating a Life.Built.Better® not only for homeowners, but also for the greater communities in which we live and work. In 2021, the Company donated over $1 million to non-profit organizations in the U.S. through its charitable foundation, Meritage Cares, focusing its efforts to support Afghan refugees, and contributed a total of $1.6 million to fund education initiatives.
“We continued to expand our corporate giving this year to foster healthy and safe communities,” said Phillippe Lord, CEO of Meritage Homes. “We witnessed the aftermath of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. With refugees arriving in the U.S. in all of our markets, I was extremely proud of our teams across every region coming together to create essential hygiene kits and make an impact as these families settle in their new homes.”
Meritage’s 2021 philanthropic efforts include:
- The Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan
- Meritage Cares donated $100,000 to the International Refugee Committee to aid the Afghan refugees during the resettlement process in the U.S. by providing immediate housing, food, medical care as well as long-term support as they rebuild their lives.
- Additionally, Meritage’s employees in every market donated products and packaged hygiene kits for the refugees through the Catholic Charities Community Services’ national network.
- Community-Based Regional Support
- Meritage Homes contributed a total of $1.6 million in support of education initiatives at schools in communities where it operates.
- Meritage Cares donated a total of $100,000 to regional Texas food banks in the aftermath of the Texan winter storms in early 2021.
- Meritage Cares donated nearly $220,000 to regional and local non-profit organizations to support children, families and military veterans in the areas where Meritage does business.
- Meritage employees also volunteered additional hours at local Toys for Tots drives, Salvation Army donation centers, Angel Tree programs, Second Harvest Food Bank and much more.
- Sustainable Forestry
- Demonstrating our commitment to responsible forest management, Meritage Cares donated $300,000 to the Arbor Day Foundation to support tree planting programs.
- Supporting Veteran Military Families
- Meritage Homes built and donated its 14th new mortgage-free home to a deserving veteran family near Tampa, Florida through its ongoing partnership with Operation Homefront.
- DE&I Initiatives
- Meritage Cares donated a total of $125,000 split between INROADS, a non-profit organization focused on development of underrepresented talent for careers, the United Negro College Fund, and the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s College of Science and Technology.
- Empowering Underrepresented Groups in the Homebuilding Industry
- As a proud founding partner, Meritage Homes extended its sponsorship commitment to Building Talent Foundation with a $125,000 donation to further its mission to advance the education, training and career progression of young people and people from underrepresented groups in residential construction.
- Meritage Cares donated $50,000 split between the National Association of Women in Construction and the Society of Women Engineers to empower more women to join the fields of construction and engineering.
For more information on Meritage Cares, please visit: https://www.meritagehomes.com/why-meritage/meritage-cares.
About Meritage Homes Corporation
Meritage Homes is the sixth-largest public homebuilder in the United States, based on homes closed in 2020. The Company offers a variety of homes that are designed with a focus on entry-level and first move-up buyers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Meritage Homes has delivered over 145,000 homes in its 36-year history, and has a reputation for its distinctive style, quality construction, and award-winning customer experience. The Company is the industry leader in energy-efficient homebuilding, an eight-time recipient of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year for Sustained Excellence Award since 2013 for innovation and industry leadership in energy efficient homebuilding, and the recipient of the EPA Indoor airPLUS Leader Award. For more information, visit www.meritagehomes.com.
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