Volunteerism is one of our pillars; we believe that it takes all of us working together to create lasting change.  This is why we spent August 15 engaging our staff and board in a Day of Caring in Battle Creek.  We had three projects set up with our partners at the Food Bank of South Central Michigan, Leila Arboretum, and Community Action.  We had a wonderful morning working together to help change the story in our community.

Our team working with the Food Bank was busy at Mike’s Place helping to distribute food with their Fresh Food Initiative.  This initiative brings fresh groceries directly to low-income neighborhoods.   Our staff and board served over 150 families and provided things like vegetables, yogurt, fresh bread, and even a birthday cake for one little boy celebrating his birthday that day.  It was wonderful to see the immediate impact the food created for the families.

Over at Leila Arboretum, our group was busy painting the Horticulture Training Center.   This is an incredibly important building for the Arboretum; it’s more like a community hub, welcoming collaborative partners and volunteers.  With a team of just fifteen, they managed to almost complete the entire project!  They also had time to sneak in a tour of the greenhouse and see the Leila Arboretum mission in action.

Our last team was thrown right on the line at Community Action.  They created an assembly line to pack boxes with at least one food item from each section of the nutritional pyramid.  These boxes are delivered to low-income individuals and families directly.  Our group worked hard and was able to assemble 499 boxes , which will definitely make an impact for the people receiving them.

After a morning of volunteering, we met back at the Food Bank for lunch and reflection.  All three groups were able to share about their experience, and it was definitely impactful to hear about the results.  We had a great day giving back in a way we don’t get to every day at the office, and together, we volunteered for 102.5 hours.  Now we’re all looking forward to another Day of Caring in Kalamazoo!