Since our founding over 30 years ago, ECRS has endeavored to harness the power of free enterprise to positively impact lives both locally and globally. We strive to live by our charitable mission statement:
To make the world a better place to live by leaving our families, communities, country, and world better than we found them.
Acting Locally
ECRS Honors Essential Retailers with Holiday Donation
When everything shut down during the pandemic, our retailers stood strong for their local communities despite the fear and uncertainty. In honor of their sacrifice, ECRS has pledged to provide nearly 139,000 meals to those to those served out of our local Hospitality House Community Kitchen. This donation supplies 3 meals a day, 7 days a week to those in need for all of 2021.
ECRS Community Grant Program
We launched the ECRS Community Grant Program in 2019 to focus exclusively on making a positive impact on the lives of local children and/or young adults, especially underserved populations, in the Appalachian region that we call home.
In the program’s first year, grant recipients were able to complete several substantial community projects as a result of the ECRS funds. Projects included:
- A STEAM area in the Watauga County Public Library by The Friends of Watauga County Public Library,
- Double Up Food Bucks funding at the Watauga County Farmer’s Market by Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture,
- An internship program for youth by Bradford Ministries Boys Night/Girls Night,
- Phase II of the Food Pantry expansion by Hospitality House,
- And “The Grandfather Challenge”, a four-week hiking program for a group of ten students by The Jason Project, Inc.
ECRS has long been active in the Boone community, creating jobs, offering educational opportunities to students, and contributing to local causes. In addition to our Grant Program, ECRS employees have donated hundreds of hours to supporting the youth of Watauga County, from leading Scout troops to volunteering at local sports competitions. ECRS also donates the company parking lot for fundraising during Appalachian State University football games.
“Profits matter, but our mission is much larger in scope than simply making money. We want to harness the power of free enterprise to improve lives. We were very pleased to support so many great causes in the High Country in 2019 and hope to replicate that impact in 2020.”
Caroline Catoe
ECRS President
The ECRS Community Grant Program has been temporarily suspended due to the impact of COVID-19 on our community.
Striving to Make a Global Impact
More than a decade ago, ECRS formalized our goal for global impact when we joined forces with Maison Fortuné Orphanage Foundation, an organization devoted to the support of the Maison Fortuné Orphanage and Primary School located in Hinche, Haiti. Maison Fortuné Orphanage houses approximately 235 children, teaches about 300 students in its primary school, and serves more than 700 meals per day. Since 2008, ECRS has donated more than a quarter of a million dollars to the foundation.