I’ve talked a lot about how Consumer Cellular feels, at times, more like a family than a company. But it’s not just inside our walls. Our family is an extended family that includes the local communities we call home. And that’s why I am especially pleased to tell you one of the ways we give back to our local community here in Oregon is by volunteering, each quarter, at the Oregon Food Bank (OFB).
The OFB distributes food to 20 regional food banks, which, in turn, distributes food to 947 local agencies and programs, such as food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and more. These local programs provide food directly to people who are hungry in the form of boxes of food for people to take home or prepared meals. The OFB Network serves an average of 240,000 hungry people each month.
Since 2007, Consumer Cellular friends, family, and co-workers have made 21 visits to help out at the OFB, clocking in a combined total of more than 1,600 volunteer hours. In our most recent visit, on a beautiful spring night in Portland, 45 of us worked incredibly hard and packaged over 23,000 pounds of oranges into bags for distribution to families in need. In fact, we were so efficient as a team we finished bagging all the oranges and completed our shift 20 minutes early.
Stuffing bags wasn’t the end of our contribution, either. Through our company matching program, we made a cash donation to OFB. We donated $10 for each employee hour volunteered, which translated into an additional $500 donation to the food bank.
And that’s for just one night of volunteering in Portland. Our Phoenix location will be making their next visit to Saint Mary’s Food Bank and contributing to their community, soon.
From volunteering to recycling, I believe we should do what we can to make our family, friends, and neighbors healthier and stronger. I’m honored that Consumer Cellular can give back in so many ways. We don’t just work here; we live here, too.