PHILADELPHIA –
Participants in the Industrial Hardware Success and Partnership in Reaching Excellence mentoring program assembled 150 lunch bags for the homeless May 17.
The community outreach and team building event featured Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support employees making sandwiches and assembling lunch bags, known as “blessing bags,” with uplifting messages. The bags were delivered to a non-profit organization serving the homeless in southern New Jersey.
“My goal was to make it unique from other mentoring programs, which is where the team building and community service projects come into play,” Joanne Anello, Industrial Hardware traditional acquisition division chief and InSPIRE co-lead, said. “This project is just a small way we can give back and hopefully brighten someone’s day.”
When Anello teamed with Chuck Zerambo, IH purchasing agent and InSPIRE co-lead, to create the program, Anello wanted to make it unique and provide an opportunity for participants to connect with each other and the community.
One IH employee, who authored more than half of the uplifting messages, was glad to be part of the event.
“It’s a really fun and interesting way to come together,” said Alexa Janco, an IH contract specialist and InSPIRE participant. “It was a team building event, but I also got to network with other mentors and mentees and help the community.”
InSPIRE is an ongoing mentoring program open to all DLA Troop Support employees. Employees interested in participating can contact Joanne Anello or Charles “Chuck” Zerambo for information.