Four employees at Diversified Communications recently issued a challenge to their 200 colleagues – Collect 2,000 pounds of food to donate to Preble Street’s food pantry, in support of their Stop Summer Hunger campaign. Diversified employees met the challenge three times over, collecting 6,841 pounds of food, a $10,000 donation equivalent, in two weeks.
“Knowing that families’ need for food increases when children are out of school, Nicole Dunbar, Imani Clark, Tonya Fowler and I worked with Ray Hepler, Resource Development Assistant at Preble Street to coordinate Diversified’s first Help Stop Summer Hunger! Food Drive & Competition,” said Janice Rogers, Diversified’s Vice President of Human Resources. “The true inspiration behind this, however, was two young girls from Waterville, Maine who asked for food donations for their school’s food pantry in lieu of birthday presents, and ended up raising $40,000 in food and donations.”
On Monday, July 21st many people helped deliver all 6,841 pounds of food to Preble Street. Diversified employees collected the food from their office and loaded a delivery truck provided by their office supplies provider, W.B. Mason. Volunteers from Experience Mission helped off-load the food at the pantry, and stayed on to assist the Preble Street kitchen staff organize and stock the pantry shelves.
“I wish I could have been on hand to say thank you,” said Mark Swann, Executive Director of Preble Street, “Diversified has been a great supporter of Preble Street since even before I arrived in 1991! We are now serving more than 1,000 meals a day, and this kind of concern and partnership is essential as we try to keep up with the sad reality of growing poverty and hunger.”
From a nutritious breakfast to a shelter bed, from clean clothes to employment, from showers to a permanent home, Preble Street operates 24/365 to meet immediate needs and empower people to move beyond the crisis in their lives. With 14 programs at five sites in Portland, Lewiston and Bangor, Preble Street responds to urgent needs and emerging problems with best practice programs while advocating for change and creating solutions to the problems of homelessness, hunger and poverty. For more information, visit www.preblestreet.org or follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrebleStreet
Diversified Communications is a leading international media company providing market access, education and information through global, national and regional face-to-face events, eMedia, publications and television stations. Diversified serves a number of industries including: seafood, food service, technology, healthcare, commercial marine, and business management. Based in Portland, Maine, USA, Diversified has divisions in the Eastern United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Thailand and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit: https://www.divcom.com