Wilmington-based developer Buccini/Pollin Group, Inc. held an Afternoon of Service on May 6, with more than 150 employees taking the second half of the day to volunteer.
The employees selected from seven local organizations to serve, Christiana Care, The Ministry of Caring, Boys & Girls Club, Neighborhood House, Reed’s Refuge, St. Patrick’s Center and the Walnut Street YMCA.
“The purpose of the day was to serve where it is most-needed,” explained Pamela Gardner, manager of executive relations and Community Engagement . “As a company, The Buccini/Pollin Group believes acts of kindness when executed as a team can have a profound effect on the communities in which we live, work and serve. BPG’s Day of Service provided a tremendous team building activity affording our associates an afternoon serving the heartbeat of our company- the City of Wilmington, a community that continues to embrace and support BPG.”
The team dove right into responsibilities from playing games with rehab patients at Christiana Care, creating bulletin boards and cleaning at the Boys & Girls Club, sorting donations at the Ministry of Caring and St. Patrick’s, to even putting their construction and maintenance expertise to good use by painting and fixing broken light fixtures at Reed’s Refuge.
Joe Hickey, executive director of St. Patrick’s Center was thankful for the help, “We appreciate the work of the Buccini/Pollin volunteers who helped in our food pantry and clothing closet. St. Patrick’s Center is located in the poorest neighborhood in Wilmington and our clients face hunger and extreme poverty every day. Many people in need were helped through the efforts of the volunteers.”
The employees were touched too, Hugues Nkamwa, property nanager at The Residences at Rodney Square explained, “It was a great opportunity to volunteer at the Ministry of Caring. A wonderful experience to witness how a facility that is primed to serve the neediest amongst us operates. We sorted donated clothes, shoes and other items for men, women and children. Their motto, the poor should never be treated poorly, touched me deeply. I was so moved by the good ingrained in their mission that I decided to clean out The Residences at Rodney Square. It was an earnest effort to give back to an organization which has given and continues to give so much to our community.”
