Laura McHolm co-founded NorthStar Moving 20 years ago when she was working as an attorney and felt the desire to do something unexpected. She believes that if people have a happy move, they will have a happy home. Thus, the theme of NorthStar Moving is “Moving Happiness Home.” Her philosophy also applies to her organization, which has been named among the “best places to work” by the Los Angeles Business Journal. McHolm is deeply committed to helping others in many ways.
“We really feel strongly about giving back to the community and making sure our team members and clients are well taken care of,” she said.
NorthStar Moving pays employees their regular hourly wages to volunteer for the non-profit organizations that the company is affiliated with. Laura herself is Chairman of the Board for Claire’s Place Foundation, which supports families living with Cystic Fibrosis. In addition, NorthStar Moving is the official moving company for Make-A-Wish in Greater Los Angeles, and is also involved with Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Toys for Tots, the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, and many more organizations.
Laura noted that 1 in 4 children in Los Angeles County and 1 in 5 children in Orange County suffer from hunger every day. She also mentioned that she recognized the increased demand food banks face in the summertime, when millions of children are no longer receiving free or reduced-cost meals at school.
This urgent need inspired the Let’s Send Hunger Packing Food Drive, which NorthStar Moving has held every summer since 2013 with local Coldwell Banker real estate offices. This year, the food drive collected over 7,100 pounds of food – that’s the equivalent of nearly 6,000 meals delivered to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.
In addition, NorthStar Moving honored the Coldwell Banker offices who collected the most food in their county with a $1,000 donation and the second place offices each with a $250 donation to their local food bank in their name.
Although the drive recently wrapped-up, Laura noted that, “It’s not truly over until everyone is fed.”
“Every year I hope that we never have to have another food drive,” McHolm said. “Our goal is that food drives are no longer necessary.”
Laura is not the only one at NorthStar Moving who enjoys helping others, as the employees participate in the food drive as well.
“People love the idea. I think when they hear the statistics – 2.1 million people in LA and Orange Counties are at risk for hunger every day – it’s really upsetting. It sounds like a third world country, and it’s right here in our backyard. It’s really hidden and it’s something people don’t talk about. As soon as they hear those kinds of statistics, they jump right into action.”
NorthStar Moving is making a mini documentary about a food drive to encourage more donations at next year’s event.
Everyday heroes like Laura McHolm and the team at NorthStar Moving are making a difference in their community. Learn how you can take action to fight hunger in your town!
