By Michael Lea, Kingston Whig-Standard Friday, June 5, 2015 10:16:15 EDT PM
Tammy Horner, a continued care support for youth worker with Family and Children’s Services, was digging in a garden off Compton Street for the Kingston Community Health Centres Friday morning.
It was her assigned task for the United Way’s Day of Caring, a chance for local workplaces to offer a helping hand to non-profit agencies.
In her job, she helps kids coming out of foster care and she expected some of them lived in the area.
“It’s nice to be out here doing something close to them, helping their community and our community where we work,” she said.
This was her first time taking part in the Day of Caring. She got involved because she wanted to “do something positive.”
“Sometimes when we are involved in areas, dealing with families, it’s a stressful time,” she said. “This just feels good.”
Dana Bell, also with Family and Children’s Services, is on the Day of Caring committee and said she specifically asked to work in that area.
“I figured these are our people, these are our families and clients, they should see us doing something productive in their community.”
Tony Khoueiry, the assistant store manager at Home Depot, said this was also the first time he was taking part.
The store has its own Team Depot, which has long gone out to help in the community, but this was the first year the team and the United Way have joined forces.
A half-dozen workers were at the Partners in Mission Food Bank, planting shrubs Home Depot had donated and painting the rooms of the Food Sharing Project upstairs.
“We do a lot of volunteer work. It’s awesome. It’s a good feeling,” Khoueiry said.
Tim Brown, the executive director of the Food Sharing Project, said the jobs were ones his own staff simply didn’t have the time or the money to do.
“We don’t spend a lot of time and money for the niceties for ourselves,” he said.
A couple of Home Depot workers were adding a new coat of paint to a break room.
“The volunteers work hard and it’s nice if they have a nice retreat they can come to and enjoy their cup of coffee,” said Brown.
He said he spends the year prior to the Day of Caring thinking up possible projects for the volunteers.
“There is no money in our budget to do painting or gardening. We come to rely on this.”
He appreciated the volunteers’ dedication and hard work.
“I have an app on my phone with a whip on it, but I have only had to use it once,” he laughed.
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