Thanks to Michael Grossman of MAG Real Estate Advisors for asking Perlmutter Properties to participate in Volunteer New York’s Giving Tuesday program. I’m looking forward to getting my hat this morning (picture coming?). My parents and grandparents set an example for me as a kid about the importance of giving back to your community. As a student in college, my favorite economics courses were the ones on the economics of lesser developed countries. One of the principles I learned then and that motivates me in how I choose to give back is that a society’s greatness is judged on the wellbeing of its least advantaged members.

One of the many great things about my father, Milton Perlmutter, is that he saw how important it was to give people the tools to better their lives. He believed that the highest form of charity was to help people to help themselves. Of all his many business accomplishments, I think that he was most proud of bringing Pathmark supermarkets to underserved communities like Bedford-Stuyvesant. Although I don’t think I’ve had that kind of life-changing impact that bringing quality food to at a competitive price to these food deserts had, I’ve always thought it important to take on listings in under-retailed communities to help bring goods and services to their members.

So, whether it is raising scholarship money to help fulfill the dreams of kids who can’t otherwise afford college, or filling needs in an underserved community, there is always an opportunity to lift up society by helping those who need it most.