On Friday, November 17th, firm members gathered into two teams to participate in Lanigan, Ryan’s 2nd Annual Community Volunteer Day. The groups offered support to two great charities this year – both aimed at improving the lives of people living in poverty – including Nourish Now in Rockville and A Wider Circle in Silver Spring.
Nourish Now, a local organization dedicated to ending hunger and food waste, concentrates on the rescue of leftover prepared foods and the re-distribution of them and other donated goods to local families in need. Additionally, the group works with other organizations in the area to place corporate donations where there is specific demand. LRMD volunteers that worked with Nourish Now focused on the organization’s main program, food rescue, to distribute prepared food donations. Many of these donations came in large serving portions, which required the re-packaging and re-portioning of food items to serve more people. Re-packed items were then loaded onto a truck for delivery. Team members also took part in the sorting of canned and boxed goods to ensure all were safe and within the proper expiration periods.
Our second group of volunteers joined others from the community at A Wider Circle’s warehouse for the day. A Wider Circle’s mission to end poverty begins with the belief that every house needs certain things to become a home, and that these items should be available to all – including mattresses and other furniture, housewares, artwork, and toys for children. The second layer of the organization is built to help people out of poverty by offering them professional clothing and resume workshops – advice to attain jobs and careers. The warehouse serves not only as a warehouse, but as a clothing shop, education center, and a furniture showroom. The crew planted at the warehouse for the day focused on cleaning housewares, building furniture, and restocking the showroom with donations – both large and small – to facilitate warehouse operations. Team members were fortunate to meet some of the individuals who were being served by the charity firsthand as they selected items to furnish their home. Members assisted visitors by loading trucks and other vehicles with new possessions.
At Lanigan, Ryan, we feel lucky to be able to contribute in a small way to the local community that we call home and therefore thank the two organizations that we worked with this year in their continuing effort to eradicate poverty and support the families of our neighborhood.
To learn more about the organizations that we visited in November, and to find out how you can help them achieve their missions, visit their websites at awidercircle.org and nourishnow.org.
