Hooters Employees Build 6th Habitat For Humanity Home

CLEARWATER, FL — Several employees from the Tampa Bay area Hooters locations joined representatives from Habitat for Humanity as the Hayes family received the keys to their new home that the employees helped build.

The dedication ceremony took place on June 25 in Largo. This is the sixth home Hooters has sponsored and volunteered at in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties.

Homeowner Latasha Hayes has been a certified nursing assistant since 2007. She is a single mother to her three kids ages 4, 8 and 12, and one niece.

“It will be different because It's always been a dream to be a homeowner and having a safe and secure home for us will make the biggest difference in the world," Hayes said. "My family has been blessed and this is our breakthrough. Prayer really changes things."

Tampa Bay area Hooters representatives who attended the dedication ceremony included Somer Bishop, who works at the Clearwater Hooters location, Baylee Elliott, who works at the Brandon Hooters location, and HMC Hospitality Group community liaison Lesley Price.

“It has been an honor to volunteer alongside my Hooters family on multiple homes. I’m proud to work for a company that believes in pouring into their community and being a blessing to others,” said Bishop, a 2022 Hooters Calendar Girl.

“I’m very grateful to work with a company that not only looks out for their employees, but looks out for the community as well," said Elliot, also a 2022 Hooters Calendar Girl. "It was inspiring to work around people as dedicated and selfless as the Habitat for Humanity team. I am honored to be a part of such a fulfilling project with Hooters. It is an honor to present the key to Latasha and her family for their forever home."

“We are very thankful to be able to assist local families including the Hayes Family with a place to call home," said Denise Williams, chief marketing officer of HMC Hospitality Group. "Every year, our team at Hooters looks forward to volunteering to help at the Habitat builds and to attend the Habitat dedication ceremony when the families receive their keys."

The team at Hooters volunteered a combined 258 hours assisting with framing, window and door installation, insulation installation and painting during this year’s Habitat Build.

HMC Hospitality Group has also sponsored homes for the Clarke, Hooten, Miller, Hicks and Smith families.

Since 2016, HMC Hospitality Group has presented Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties with $495,100 and donated more than 1,868 hours of their time to build local homes.

HMC Hospitality Group owns and operates 22 Hooters restaurants and five Hoots locations in Tampa Bay and Chicago.