On Thursday the 21st of October, 13 of us went to the Alameda County Community Food Bank. The food bank distributes food to other agencies in Alameda County, who then feed the needy. Our job was to bag a few carrots. 2500 pounds of them to be precise. They brought in about four boxes of loose carrots, grown specifically for the food bank. We put the carrots into bags, and put them into other boxes, after tying off the ends - the hardest part of the job. Lori Velasco and I thank everyone for a job well done.
Those who participated at the food bank were Lana Hee, John Conduracki, Craig Martinelli, Keenan Wong, Lori Velasco, Nick Chuinklin, Melissa Frasier, Antonette Caren, Sebastian Lopez, Maureen Boesch, Gigi Rayos, Ken Grant, and Bob Pick.
Special thanks go to John Conduracki and Craig Martinelli for providing rides to those who needed them, even going out of their ways, sometimes by intent.
The previous day, a smaller group including Tony Razo, Gordon Ching and I went to near the Caldecott Tunnel to the Gateway Gardens Vegetation project - in the area of the Oakland Hills Fire. We took a pile of mulch and spread it around to prevent growth of fireweed and other burnable plants. These guys worked hard - shoveling mulch into wheelbarrows, taking the wheelbarrows where the mulch was needed, and spreading it out. In just 3 hours, we got rid of a dump truck's worth of mulch.
A few photos from Thursday's carrot caper:
Lori, Gigi and Antonette smilingly note how much faster their box is emptying than...
... the one belonging to Nick, Keenan and Ken.
Ken silently reminds Nick and Maureen that if he hears "what's up doc" one more time...
John and Lana bag away.
See? There really is a bottom of the box!
Nick's future is so bright he's gotta wear shades.
One more group photo, this time with Sebastian.
Great job everyone. It always feels great to give back to the community and help anyway you can. Volunteers should be commended!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good looking bunch .. not the carrots but everyone at CSE. Thanks so much for the participation and support of Volunteer Week. Looks like it was a fun day and i can only imagine all of the individuals you have touched with this act of kindness and support. You'll be pleased to know you were not alone as thousands of insurance employees on the West coast and for the first time this year the East coast volunteered together during the industry-wide volunteer Week. Thanks to everyone at CSE for sharing your Volunteer Week experience.
ReplyDeleteOn behalf of the industry foundation, much appreciation and sincere thanks,
Bill Ross, Chief Executive Officer, IICF
Thanks again for coming out to help us! We loved having your team in the warehouse.
ReplyDeleteAnd now you're all celebrities -- we've got some pics on our Facebook page as well: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=316445&id=7949637781
You're welcome back any time!
Thanks to Bob and the whole CSE team for coming out and making a difference in their community! The insurance industry sure has the best volunteers!
ReplyDeleteYour efforts on behalf of the industry and the foundation are very much appreciated!