In March, employees from Host’s service team, along with members of Host’s executive team, dropped off professional clothing donations to A Wider Circle, a local non-profit organization serving homeless and underprivileged individuals in Washington, D.C. We unloaded 18 boxes full of new and gently used men’s and women’s professional clothing and accessories, donated by our employees as part of a clothing drive at Host’s Bethesda headquarters. 

After unloading the delivery truck, the team spent the morning at A Wider Circle’s community service center in Silver Spring, MD and saw first-hand the impact of our furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) and clothing donations and how these items were given a new life and provide hope and opportunity to local families in need. Highlights from the visit included:

•  A tour of the facility and warehouse where donations are stored and sorted by volunteers.
• A behind-the-scenes look at the Professional Development Center, which is set up like a store for clients to meet with personal shoppers and shop free of charge for professional clothing, including the items donated by Host employees.
• Meeting with staff from A Wider Circle to learn more about the organization’s work and programs.

At the end of the tour, Jim Risoleo, president and chief executive officer of Host Hotels & Resorts, presented the organization with a donation to further support their work and mission.

Host has continued to build on our partnership with A Wider Circle. Our development, design & construction team partners with the organization on FF&E liquidation from local hotel renovation projects. To date, we have donated 16,211 pieces of furniture—including beds, dressers and tables—from the guestroom renovations at Washington Marriott at Metro Center and The Westin Georgetown, Washington D.C. to the organization’s Essential Support program, which furnishes homes free-of-charge for families who are beginning their journeys out of poverty.

"It was a pleasure to have the Host Hotels & Resorts team visit A Wider Circle to tour our facilities and see how their donations are redistributed,” said Amy Javaid, President & CEO of A Wider Circle. “Their team has supported our work in so many ways—including donating more than 1,500 rooms’ worth of furniture from local hotel renovation projects, leading a clothing drive at their corporate headquarters, and offering financial support. Host is a true partner that we are lucky to have in our 'circle.'"

Learn more about Host’s Corporate Responsibility program, including our Corporate Citizenship program.