Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. announced that thousands of its sales agents and staff, including those at the Severna Park sales office, rolled up their sleeves and took part in the company’s annual Community Service Day held June 4, 2014. Long & Foster is the largest independent residential real estate company in the United States.

Long & Foster’s annual Community Service Day takes place at its nearly 180 offices throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Washington, D.C., and Northeast regions, including its headquarters in Chantilly, Va. The annual event provides a day for Long & Foster agents and staff to give back to their community through a variety of service projects, including collecting food for those in need and cleaning up local parks, among many other projects. Though Long & Foster’s Community Service Day was recognized on June 4, the many offices work with organizations on other days surrounding the recognized date.

The Severna Park sales office chose to volunteer with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation on June 18. Agents and staff from the office, along with some of their family members, worked at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Oyster Restoration Facility, building oyster reef balls to be placed in oyster gardens throughout the Chesapeake Bay’s tributaries.

“Native oysters are so important to the Bay’s ecological system, filtering algae, sediment, and other pollutants. The reefs are a vital habitat for fish, crabs, and other Bay life. Restoration of the Bay is critical to help improve the water quality and life around the Bay as the population of our native oysters are estimated to be as low as one percent of historic levels, which is why we were so excited to have a part, no matter how small, in making a difference in turning that around,” said Tim Blanchfield, who manages the Severna Park office.

“This annual event, now in its seventeenth year, is a vitally important part of Long & Foster’s culture,” says P. Wesley Foster Jr., chairman and CEO of The Long & Foster Companies. “Our sales associates and employees gain a tremendous sense of personal satisfaction by contributing their time and effort to the local communities in which we live and work. At a time when many charities and local organizations have a great need for an extra set of hands in getting the job done, we are honored to have the opportunity to assist them.”

In addition to its dedication to serving the community, Long & Foster Real Estate is committed to the success of its sales associates and is an industry leader in providing the latest and best tools, technology and training. For more information, visit www.LongandFoster.com.