Every year, Apartments.com’s ThanksGifting program honors deserving charities that partner with the multifamily industry to build a brighter future. From fighting food insecurity to providing shelter for vulnerable individuals, these organizations are making an incredible impact across the U.S. and Canada.
2025 marks the sixth year of giving back, and to celebrate, we’re donating $60,000, bringing our total contributions since the launch of the program to $250,000.
To highlight their important work, we’re honoring Entryway, CoreGiving, Hatching Hope, HomeSpace, and Move for Hunger. Each organization is receiving a $10,000 donation to continue their important work.
And thanks to Leslie Klecatsky of Lake Place Apartments & Townhomes, one more nonprofit is receiving $10,000. The winner of our ThanksGifting giveaway, Leslie selected Hammer Residences as the sixth charity to be honored in this year’s campaign.
Get to know this year’s winners
Working in close partnership with multifamily communities, this year’s recipients tackle social issues across North America:
- Entryway combats homelessness by providing at-risk individuals with a path to housing and economic stability through a career in the multifamily industry.
- CoreGiving relies on support from its multifamily partners to direct 100 percent of donations to fund food banks across the nation.
- Hammer Residences provides supportive group homes and apartments that help adults with developmental disabilities live independent, self-directed lives.
- Hatching Hope provides essential supplies to help multifamily residents recover from disasters like fires, floods, and hurricanes.
- HomeSpace builds and operates affordable multifamily housing on a nonprofit basis to shelter vulnerable individuals and families.
- Move for Hunger fights hunger and waste by coordinating with apartment communities and movers to redirect food to local food banks.
Representatives from Entryway, CoreGiving, Hatching Hope, HomeSpace, and Move for Hunger joined the latest episode of Minutes with Marcia B. to share how these organizations are working with the multifamily industry. The podcast is available on all major platforms, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
CoreGiving fights childhood hunger by supporting food banks
Nearly 14 million children in the U.S. live in food-insecure households, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At the same time, food banks, which help bridge the gap for these families, are struggling to make ends meet. Financial support for these organizations has dropped, while the cost of food has risen.
That’s where CoreGiving — a new recipient of the ThanksGifting program — comes in.
A collective giving organization, CoreGiving is powered by contributions from Blackstone Real Estate portfolio companies, including four multifamily property management companies. This allows the organization to cover its operating expenses and direct 100 percent of donations — including the $10,000 from Apartments.com — to food banks across the country.
“We have a unique network, and we’re really trying to invite multiple companies, their networks, their employees, their residents, and their vendors to contribute all in support of alleviating childhood hunger,” said Bridget O’Connell, the organization’s executive director and sole employee.
Last year, the organization contributed over $4.2 million to hunger relief organizations in 25 states, O’Connell said.
The nonprofit also mobilizes volunteers through its annual CoreGiving Day. This fall, CoreGiving engaged over 3,500 employees across 15 countries to volunteer at food banks, ultimately helping deliver over a million meals.
Entryway creates self-sufficiency through multifamily careers
For individuals and families living on the edge, a stroke of bad luck — like losing a job or facing a health crisis — can trigger a spiral into homelessness.
Entryway steps in to help people facing situational homelessness become economically self-sufficient. And the multifamily industry is central to its model — as a source of both career opportunities and housing.
The organization provides training and support to those facing housing instability. Entryway works with nearly 100 multifamily employers to place these individuals in high-demand positions, such as leasing agent, maintenance tech, and groundskeeper. These roles are paired with onsite housing.
“It’s a really unique win-win program where we’re not just able to help families get back on their feet,” said Kristen Poteet, Entryway’s senior president of external affairs, “but we’re also able to provide some really amazing talent to the industry where they otherwise maybe would not be looking to find them.”
Entryway has trained over 1,300 individuals for careers in the multifamily industry, Poteet said.
In a recent example, participant Keyshaundra found a job as a leasing agent through Entryway’s training program. She quickly fell in love with the industry and completed training last month to become a certified apartment manager (CAM). Today, Keyshaundra, who was facing homelessness little more than a year ago, is now looking to become an assistant property manager.
The $10,000 donation from Apartments.com will help Entryway better prepare candidates in its training program, including identifying at-risk individuals who are living in shelters, in their vehicles, and on the couches of friends and family members, and providing them with the resources they need to thrive.
“We want to make sure these individuals are set up for long-term success,” Poteet said.
Hatching Hope helps disaster victims recover
When disaster strikes, Hatching Hope is there to help multifamily residents and onsite staff recover.
The organization, founded by Keli Lynch-Wright after she and her son lost their own home in an apartment fire, serves multifamily residents displaced by hurricanes, floods, and other disasters. Hatching Hope provides immediate and long-term recovery essentials to these disaster victims.
Recently, the organization has expanded its focus to include four-legged residents.
“We know that multifamily people love pets, and we know that our residents who live on site usually have four-legged family members,” said Lynch-Wright, Hatching Hope’s founder and executive director.
As part of the nonprofit’s new Paws for Hope program, disaster victims can receive essential items for their pets, including a leash, soft blanket, water bowl, food, and treats.
The organization has served over 1.3 million residents. Thanks to the $10,000 donation from Apartments.com, Hatching Hope is adding a mobile disaster comfort station to its fleet of vehicles. This portable trailer will provide first aid items, generators to charge medical equipment, and internet access for renters to get in touch with friends and family.
“One thing that really hit home with us is that people had no communication,” Lynch-Wright said, reflecting on the lessons she learned responding to Hurricane Helene and Milton last year. “This really lets us give back where it’s most needed and help people know that someone cares about them.”
Learn more about Hatching Hope
HomeSpace creates affordable housing to build thriving communities
As low-income renters struggle to avoid homelessness, affordable housing providers face the challenges of limited resources. For vulnerable individuals and families in Calgary, HomeSpace is filling an important gap.
The nonprofit organization builds, operates, and maintains affordable housing for nearly 2,000 residents in Canada’s third-largest city.
“We serve everyone from youth, families, women — with specialized buildings across our portfolio,” said Bernadette Majdell, HomeSpace’s CEO.
While HomeSpace is focused on expanding affordable and specialized housing, the social service agencies it partners with provide resources to help residents thrive.
In a new project, HomeSpace is purchasing an office building that has stood empty for years and is converting it into 50 units of affordable housing for people at risk or experiencing homelessness.
“We’re really excited to give back to the community,” Majdell said, “supporting those most in need […] and trying to revitalize our downtown.”
This office-to-apartment conversion isn’t the only project HomeSpace is working on. The $10,000 from Apartments.com will help the organization establish a community garden for residents.
“It’s about families who are at risk or experiencing homelessness and really helping them and teaching their kids about how to grow their own food and the importance of nutrition as they move through life,” Majdell said.
Move for Hunger fights hunger and waste
When residents move out of their apartments, food often gets left behind and goes straight in the trash. Move for Hunger is trying to change that.
By working closely with apartment communities and moving companies, the national nonprofit oversees a distribution network to transfer food that would otherwise be discarded, delivering it to local food banks and food pantries. The organization’s twin missions are to fight hunger and prevent food waste.
“Every food recovery that we do is redirecting food from landfills,” said Jennifer Bushinger-Ortiz, Move for Hunger’s development director. “That is perfectly good food — both shelf stable as well as fresh food.”
On average, 38 percent of edible food in the U.S. ends up in landfills, according to the organization.
Last year, Move for Hunger delivered 15 million pounds of food to over 500 food banks. In addition to its collaboration with multifamily properties, the organization also partners with farms to recover fresh food. This includes a recent transport of 30,000 pounds of milk, as well as deliveries of 50,000 pounds of watermelon and 35,000 pounds of cabbage.
“At a time where people don’t know where their next meal is going to come from,” Bushinger-Ortiz said, “we’re there to ensure that they don’t have to worry.”
Learn more about Move for Hunger
Hammer Residences empowers adults with developmental disabilities
If you could pick any charity to receive $10,000 courtesy of Apartments.com, which organization would you pick? As part of this year’s ThanksGifting giveaway, Leslie Klecatsky won the opportunity to make this decision.
The charity she selected, Hammer Residences, helps adults with development disabilities live life to the fullest. Based in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, Hammer Residences operates group homes and apartments that come with 24/7 staffing and support services.
Since 1923, the organization has made it its mission to let people with disabilities live meaningful, self-directed lives.
Leslie is the property director of Lake Place Apartments & Townhomes in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Learn more about Hammer Residences
A commitment to giving back
Apartments.com’s ThanksGifting program was established six years ago to highlight and support the important charitable work happening in the multifamily industry. Since then, we’ve contributed a quarter-million dollars through ThanksGifting.
The ThanksGifting program reflects a deep commitment to giving back to the multifamily industry.
“Apartments.com is really proud to be your partner in your charity work,” said Marcia Bollinger, Apartments.com’s senior vice president of multifamily, in the recent podcast episode with ThanksGifting recipients. “We’re grateful that you’re out there.”
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