ABC’s Anteater Advocates Organization Serves its Community

LEWISVILLE, Texas — Dennis Jenkins’ servant attitude and commitment to giving back to the community — as his father demonstrated throughout his childhood — inspired the creation of ABC Home and Commercial Services’ internal organization: Anteater Advocates.

Anteater Advocates, run by ABC employees, was formed around 25 years ago with the goal of serving the community through the donation of time and services. In addition to monthly volunteering at Christian Community Action, a nonprofit that provides health services, food, education and more to Texas families, and hosting an annual food drive and a Christmas toy drive, ABC donates free pest control services to numerous local organizations. Some of those organizations include child advocacy centers, Mission Arlington, North Texas Food Bank, Volunteers of America, Habitat for Humanity and more. 

Today, ABC services more than 100 organizations in more than 185 locations, and the value of the donated services is more than $320,000 per year.

This generosity is in line with Anteater Advocates’ mission statement, which reads: “We feel that giving back to our community is being a good steward of the blessings we have been given and we know that working together builds memories and bonds that transcend those of just the normal working relationship. At ABC, it's not just about what we do, it's also about who we are.” 

Jenkins, owner of ABC, told PCT that his faith is his greatest motivator behind the community outreach.  

“I feel it’s the right thing that God wants me to do. I believe that our business is a blessing, that God has blessed me with our business, and our job is to share that blessing with others,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins encouraged PMPs who want to get their company involved in service work to start with an organization they are passionate about. 

“Number one, you’ve got to find your passion for what it is that you go ‘You know what? That’s a place I feel like I could really do something. I could contribute something,’” Jenkins said.

“You can expand on it in 20 different directions, but, when you start, it’s got to be something that you feel really strongly about,” he added.

For Jenkins, this first step involved donating pest control services to his church, which then expanded into allowing ABC employees to offer free pest control services to their own place of worship. From there, the company began reaching out to a variety of local organizations who give back to the community themselves.

The Anteater Advocates motto is “Caring For Those Who Care For Others,” meaning ABC aims to support organizations who use their resources to help the community, no matter their motivation.

“Whatever their motivation for why they care for people, I want to support what they’re doing and our way to support is to give them pest control,” Jenkins said. 

Jenkins said he loves donating pest control services because it is even more valuable than a check. Rather than donating money that must filter through the organization, he is saving them an expense, he said. 

The PCO also noted that it is important to treat each organization as a regular paying account. ABC pays their technicians to provide the donated service unless the technicians want to donate their time. 

Since the technicians’ pay, materials, equipment and gas for the trucks are already expensed, the monetary value of the donated services is not tax deductible. Although this effects the company’s profitability, Jenkins said that realizing the amount was not tax deductible felt like a “God moment,” in which he was reminded of his true purpose for donating the service. 

“Why are you really doing this?” Jenkins asked himself. “Well, I’m not doing it for a tax deduction, that’s for sure.”

Jenkins added that the pest management industry is uniquely qualified to serve the community because the need for pest control is universal and providing service already requires PMPs to go out to customers, rather than the customers having to come to them. 

“If they’re taking care of kids, if they’re handling food, if they’re a house of worship, whatever it is, they all have pest control. So, this a need that they are already meeting, usually with somebody who’s charging them,” Jenkins said. 

The owner of ABC said the reward of giving back to the community comes in the form of ‘thank yous’ and stories about how their donations have helped an organization fulfill its mission. The North Texas Food Bank, which recently awarded ABC its In-Kind Donor of the Year award, has won awards for its pest control program based on what ABC has done for them for free through Anteater Advocates. 

“That was another one that really made me feel good because we’re helping them, not only meet this need, but to actually be a shining example of what you can do,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins encouraged all PMPs to get involved in community outreach, even if it means starting small. “I think that everybody can do something,” he said. “Pick one. Pick two. Just find that place where you can do what you do and provide what you provide to that organization and do it out of the goodness of your heart. Do it for free and let them save that money.’