Tom Burger from Mobil, left, with Melaine and Paul Blazko from Altona refinery. 73573 Picture: JOE MASTROIANNI
By Vanessa Chircop
LAST week 250 Mobil employees spent the day volunteering in the local community.
Several of these volunteers were seen at the Vinnies Centre in Altona North for Mobil’s annual Day of Caring.
The team of 13 volunteers were put to work sorting donations, packing clothes, bale compressing and helping with the recycling of materials.
The annual corporate volunteering event is one of the largest in Australia and saw 21 organisations assisted on the day.
This is the ninth year that the company has run the program.
Saffron Whyte, St Vincent de Paul Society volunteer coordinator said they were grateful to the volunteers for giving up their work time to lend a hand.
The initiative is run with the assistance of United Way, a national non-profit organisation that promotes community volunteering and helps match companies with worthwhile volunteering projects.
For the event, volunteers get involved in tangible tasks such as cleaning, painting, gardening, packing Christmas hampers, preparing mail-outs and cooking meals for the elderly.
In addition to Vinnies Centres, the Mobil volunteers also assisted the Foodbank at Yarraville, Cancer Council of Victoria, Alzheimer’s Australia, SIDS and Kids, Salvation Army and Guide Dogs Victoria.
United Way Melbourne General Manager Penny van der Sluys, said the organisation was pleased to facilitate the Day of Caring.
“(The day) is a good example of how community organisations and business can work well together to make a significant contribution to the community.”
Every year the company’s employees devote over 10,000 hours to community service through the company’s volunteering programs.
