Day of Caring 20203: Sponsor Spotlight on Wegmans
In recognition of Volunteer Appreciation Month, this April we are highlighting the Day of Caring Presenting Sponsors who make United Way’s single largest day of volunteering possible!
This week, we talked to Michele Mehaffy, Public & Community Relations Manager for the Buffalo Division of Wegmans, about their decision to sponsor Day of Caring 2023.
What does it mean to your company to be a sponsor of Day of Caring?
Wegmans has participated in Day of Caring from the beginning. It’s an opportunity for our employees, who work across 9 Erie County stores, to come together in service to the community. Our employees love it! We try to accommodate as many as the project allows and always have a waiting list. It’s one of the best days of the Summer!
What does volunteering mean for your organization? How does volunteering align with your company's values?
Making a Difference in the community is part of our values as a company, and while we participate in dozens of community events and fundraisers throughout the year, Day of Caring brings out our largest group of Wegmans employees serving a single local organization.
What are you most excited about with Day of Caring returning?
The chance to be of service to an organization, and have our employees experience it, some for the first time. Helping a nonprofit tackle some of the projects that they just can’t get to is so impactful. Many of our projects include painting, deep cleaning, yard maintenance & planting, as well as organizational storage. These are things that most nonprofits would love to get done, but might not have the capacity. With Wegmans taking on these things, it allows the organization to focus on what they do best serve their clients.
What would you tell someone who is considering participating in Day of Caring?
The feeling of togetherness that our employees feel, the chance to make an impact for a local organization, and the feeling you get when the day is done is indescribable. To see the great work of our WNY nonprofits, and allow our employees to see that firsthand is really rewarding.
Any favorite Day of Caring memories you'd like to share?
There are so many to share! A memorable one at an unnamed agency; 100 employees were standing on concrete steps for a group photo when the steps began to crumble underneath them. On a positive note, it unearthed an underground leak. Wegmans had both the leak and the stairs repaired!
