Through an overcast sky and drizzling rain, the Pistons organization tried to make life a little brighter for families in need Saturday morning, with the help of Rock Financial, Fathead and Orchards Children’s Services.

The collaborative effort to distribute boxes of food and personal care items to roughly 400 families was the first of many to come in 2009, all made possible by the $450,000 pledged to the Pistons Care Telethon two months ago.

Rock Financial and Fathead sponsored the donation of two fully stocked semi-trailers, which they named “Fathead” and “Big Rock.” The sister companies were eager to bring one truck to Flint, the hometown of Fathead CEO Patrick McInnis.

“It’s a great feeling to come back home to Flint and lend a hand to those who could use some help getting through these tough economic times that are affecting everyone,” McInnis said. “I know I speak for all Rock Financial and Fathead team members in saying we are very proud to have been involved in helping so many families right here in Michigan.”

Forty volunteers from Rock Financial and Fathead worked all morning to make the food deliveries go as smooth as possible. They arrived at 8 a.m., to form two human assembly lines to unload hundreds of boxes off the truck, helped with the tent and set up stations that helped with the loading of cars flow smoothly. The volunteers included McInnis, Fathead vice president of public relations Brian Stevenson and Rock Financial director of community relations Wendy Kemp.

“Patrick was elated, as a hometown guy, to be able to come back to the community he grew up in,” Kemp said. “It was very moving to him.”

Pistons assistant coach Pat Sullivan also was touched by the people he met while loading boxes of food into car trunks and pick-up trucks.

“Obviously it makes you appreciate all the things you have,” he said. “Sometimes you’ve got to step back and appreciate the fact that they’re people who are a lot less fortunate than we are, and I think that’s one thing that’s very humbling.”

Cars rolled into the lot with rusty doors and taped windows. It’s sadly nothing new for residents of Flint, Michigan’s third-largest city, where signs of disrepair are evident everywhere. In that sense, Flint was a natural launching pad for this seven-month Pistons Cares campaign.

“To have your presence in Flint means a lot because we obviously have a lot of need here,” said Interim Flint Mayor, Michael Brown, who stopped by to express his gratitude. “And I also have a lot of Pistons fans here.”

Sports figures are heroes for a lot of our kids and so when they give back to the community, it means that much more. It’s excellent to have that kind of a partnership.”

The Pistons Care Telethon benefited Feed The Children, which acts as a wholesaler, stretching $7,000 in donations into $30,000 in food and basic hygiene products. But it’s up to local agencies such as Orchard’s Children Services to identify the families in most dire need of receiving these supplies.

The largest full-service foster care provider in Oakland County, Orchards Children’s Services expanded into the Flint area in October 2008. The transition has been a smooth one from a logistical standpoint, said program manager Shannon Laskey, but an event like Saturday’s - with the Pistons and their familiar sponsors behind it - goes a long way toward gaining credibility.

“It really shows the community, especially being new, that we are dedicated to them,” said Laskey, who has worked for Orchard’s Children Services in Wayne and Oakland counties for 12 years. “We really want to make an impact, a positive impact.”

Emphasizing her point, she motioned toward the semi-trailer emblazoned with logos for the Pistons Care Telethon and Feed The Children.

“It’s concrete, it’s something they can see,” she said. “Sometimes you’ll see something like, ‘Don’t worry, in like three years it will make a difference.’ This made a difference today.”

Click here for background information on the Pistons Care Telethon.