Community service and hurricane recovery: how Matt gives back
A journey of resilience, local impact and team connection
Rising from the storm: A personal mission in Tampa
When hurricanes Helene and Milton hit Tampa Bay just weeks apart in 2024, the landscape changed completely. The towering palm trees that once lined the boulevards simply vanished. Matt Partington was familiar with the devastation a loss like that brings – four years earlier, an EF4 tornado hit his land in Newnan, Georgia. When he saw calls from Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful on social media to restore the tree canopy in Tampa, he wanted to contribute to his new home. Before he moved to Tampa with ScottsMiracle-Gro, Matt volunteered with the Newnan chapter of Keep America Beautiful, so he knew his previous experience could make a difference.
Restoring the Tampa tree canopy
To rebuild the canopy, Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful was giving away a variety of trees for replanting. Matt recognized that a tree giveaway was only the first step – those new trees required the right environment with healthy soil to survive. He knew his department could contribute to the project, but he wondered: would they support his initiative? “Reaching out to leadership to find out exactly what the company empowers us to do, I was really surprised,” Matt said. His team arranged to donate eight pallets of soil from a local plant to give the new plantings a jumpstart for better success.
Revitalizing the Florida Learning Gardens
The positive impact on his community felt "cathartic," and Matt wanted to do more. Keep Tampa Beautiful needed more help at the Florida State Fairgrounds to revitalize the Florida Learning Gardens. Matt arranged a Give Back to Gro event to improve the raised beds there used for student field trips and botanical education. Matt assembled 11 associate volunteers, including five remote field sales members and six associates from the local manufacturing plant. The crew worked hands-on to remove old, nutrient-depleted dirt and replenish the beds with fresh soil. The refreshed beds gave the garden a strong start for new plants the upcoming year and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. “I'm somebody who was always very curious, asked a lot of questions and was a very hands-on learner,” he said. “So when you step back and look at what you accomplished, you're thinking about the families and the kids that are going to come and experience what you just did.”
The benefits of corporate giving: beyond the soil
These projects benefit more than just the communities they contribute to. They build camaraderie among associates in the field, who usually only interact via text or email. “It definitely was a good way to network and also experience life outside your role,” Matt said. “They’re a great opportunity to build relationships and mutual respect.” Matt encourages his fellow associates to reach out to their leaders to give back, because they are often very willing to donate time and product to make a community impact. “When you're empowered by the company that you work for to do things for the community,” he said, “it makes you feel good. And it makes you feel like you work for a good company, as well.” Learn more about our impact through garden grants and The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation.