Thanks to the prompting of one of their own employees, the Danos family came to the realization in 2017 that they needed to be more intentional about their giving.
Until then, their Gray-based oilfield service company had taken a more reactive than proactive approach in their charitable endeavors.
They’d always been a missions-minded family—particularly Mark, the youngest of the three co-owner brothers and the current leader of the Danos Foundation. Prior to joining the company, he spent a year as a missionary in Kenya with a nomadic tribe of shepherds.
“I’ve had lots of opportunities to engage in the community, go on mission trips and things of that nature,” Danos says. “That’s part of my DNA. I have a heart for that.”
The Foundation’s employee-centered origins are its true strength. “One of our teammates— Renee Piper—challenged us to do better and that started the journey,” he says. “We then began a process of determining how we could give in a way that’s meaningful to the community and aligns with our values and mission.”
They developed a theme—“care for others”—and found a Bible verse that would drive everything they do. “We put some parameters in place and then said, ‘Here you go, team. Go figure out how to translate this into action.’”
The grants provided by the Danos Foundation are guided by data and follow-up, thereby ensuring outcomes and not just activity. Danos also empowers its employees, encouraging them to participate in donating both time and financially. All employee donations to the foundation are, in turn, matched by the company.
At the same time, through Danos WORKS, the foundation contributes to nonprofits where employees volunteer their time, encouraging employees to give back to their communities.
It has been an indisputably successful approach. To date, the foundation has awarded more than $1.4 million in community grants, impacting nonprofits focused on strengthening families, creating sustainable solutions and making a lasting impact in communities.
Making an Immediate Difference
Jeray Jarreau, the founder/director of Bless Your Heart, learned of the Danos Foundation through company founder Hank Danos, who attends her church. Her grassroots nonprofit organization’s primary mission is to address food insecurity in the Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle areas. They’ve since received grants two years in a row—$20,000 the first year and $40,000 the next—all going toward the purchase of groceries.
“We then get students, teachers and different educational personnel to help us divide the groceries among the schools according to the population and need,” Jarreau says. “In the process, the kids get to learn about food insecurity, and they get to learn about a resource that’s in their school.”
Several Danos employees also volunteer with the organization, but that’s no surprise to Jarreau. “I live in that community, so I see their employees volunteering at the baseball parks, they’re picking up trash at the park, etc.,” she adds. “We see what they do, and we feel like our values closely align with one another.”
Jon Toups, president/CEO of Second Harvest in New Orleans, is a self-described “Danos fan.” His organization operates the largest network of food pantries across the Gulf Coast, stretching from Mississippi to Texas, and including 23 Louisiana parishes from Lake Charles to the Northshore of New Orleans.
“They have done some fantastic things on behalf of Second Harvest,” Toups says. “But quite frankly, the Danos family is just so instrumental in that Bayou community. That whole family is a godsend to that community.”
Danos Foundation has supported Second Harvest for nearly a decade, contributing more than $100,000 to support their work to end hunger in the Bayou Region. More recently, they were instrumental in the opening of a Second Harvest distribution facility in the area.
“The need for food assistance in the Bayou Region is great,” he says. “There are now more than 34,000 people in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes and Grand Isle experiencing food insecurity. That’s one in six.”
