As Massachusetts grapples with the cost of living, it’s clear that people need a helping hand.
From real estate to health care and energy prices, the Bay State is unaffordable to far too many residents. Massachusetts is the most expensive state in the U.S. for a family of four to live comfortably. That requires a family’s income to exceed $313,000, a long shot for most.
Struggling residents often turn to federal, state, and local policymakers for support. But, even beyond government, those with influence can do more – much more – to pave a new path forward for Massachusetts. We could all use a little bit more community. Nonprofits around the state are doing their hard work daily, but they can’t be alone in this effort.
The public and nonprofit sectors need the private sector to step up. Businesses large and small have an obligation to serve their communities, and not just customers. There is more to success in business than the bottom line. We can do well, but it means little if we don’t do good.
I look to my own family for inspiration. My grandfather Edward Quirk Sr. established Quirk Tire in Watertown all the way back in 1926 – a century ago next year – and not just to sell tires. He wanted to help people in times of desperation and touch families’ lives, building relationships, and earning trust over decades. And, over time, my grandfather’s and my father Edward Quirk, Jr.’s vision helped thousands upon thousands of families, with the business naturally growing in Massachusetts and eventually across all of New England.
I myself got started in the family business, sweeping floors and then changing large truck tires, which taught me the importance of humility and getting the job done no matter the job. This sense of humbleness instilled a sense of love for my local community. In addition to educating customers about cars and tires, we participated in charity events, donated to worthy causes, and made sure that people didn’t just see us as the tire and auto service guys.
Our business community needs to remember the values of humility, community, and charity now more than ever. People need our support.
In 2024, dozens of Massachusetts companies contributed major gifts to worthy nonprofits across the state. Hundreds of millions of corporate dollars fund the state’s nonprofit sector in any given year, in addition to employee volunteer hours and other forms of giving.
But we can do even more. VIP Tires & Service, which is today’s evolution of Quirk Tire, regularly contributes to charitable causes. We were proud to receive the 2025 WishMaker Award from Make-A-Wish Maine, which VIP has supported since 2008. VIP employees and customers (along with my matching contributions) have donated over $1.6 million to help children with critical illnesses, and we are certainly not alone.
However, many larger companies than VIP don’t support New England’s communities through charity. Small businesses are coming up short, too, even with slimmer profit margins. About 25% of small business owners don’t donate to charitable causes, leaving a nonprofit funding gap that ultimately hurts people in need. Without philanthropy, business leaders are letting people down.
Let’s commit to giving even more in the years ahead. With our continued efforts, we can help change people’s lives, but we need an all-hands-on-deck approach to charitable giving. The business community isn’t really a community otherwise.
If the public, private, and nonprofit sectors work together to identify charitable gaps and fill them, we can succeed. If not, we will continue to fail the people who need us most.
John Quirk serves as executive chairman of VIP Tires & Service, a Maine-based company with Central Massachusetts locations in Framingham and Worcester.
