Make A Difference Day

With so many pressing needs in our communities, can one day of volunteering really make a difference? You bet it can. And C&S volunteers are living proof. Each year, hundreds of our employees take action on “Make a Difference Day.” They pack groceries at food banks, clean up parks, paint recreation centers, stocking shelves at a community kitchen, and more. And at the end of the day, the world is a just a little better.

Why We've Participated Since 2003
Make A Difference Day is an annual event that brings millions of Americans together each October to work as volunteers in their communities. Created by USA WEEKEND Magazine in 1990, the event is aptly described as a “celebration of neighbors helping neighbors.” Projects typically involve teams of volunteers working together to serve others or to tackle a something in need of doing.

Projects can be small and highly-focused: some people choose to visit residents in nursing homes, collect food for the hungry, or volunteer in a homeless shelter. There are also large projects, such as building a home with Habitat for Humanity, hosting a community health fair, or cleaning up a riverbank. In 2009, over three million people participated in Make A Difference Day, including 529 C&S employees. The company covers the cost of all supplies needed to accomplish Make A Difference Day projects.

C&S 2009 Make A Difference Day projects included:

Buffalo, NY
Serving dinner at the Friends of Night People soup kitchen.

Birmingham, AL
Serving lunch at the Shepura Men's Homeless Center and sprucing up at the Roanld McDonald House.

Westfield, MA
Sprucing up at the Cancer House of Hope and serving food to veterans at the Soldier's Home.

Fresno, CA
Distributing food at the Fresno Food Bank.  

Bethlehem, PA
Painting at the Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations of the Lehigh Valley's Senior Citizen's Center.

Keene, NH
Painting the office and dining room at The Community Kitchen.

Brattleboro, VT
Building and painting a wooden storage shed for the Vermont Food Bank.

Springfield, MA
Fall sprucing up and general meaintenance to Loaves & Fishes food pantry.

Sacramento, CA
Volunteering at the Sacramento Food Bank's mobile food pantry.

Manteca, CA
Painting, installing carpet and cubicle dividers, replacing lighting and ceiling tiles at the Second Harvest Food Bank of San Joaquin County.

Wilkes-Barre, PA
Packing food boxes for senior citizens at the Weinberg Food Bank.

Suffield, CT
Beautifying and green clean up around Harvey Street.

Annapolis, MD
Painting two transitional housing apartments for the Lighthouse Homeless Prevention & Support Shelter.

Hatfield, MA
Sorting and preparing holiday cards at the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts to launch their holiday season.

Greenville, SC
Sorting and packing food at the Harvest Hope Food Bank.

Waianae, HI
Constructing a lanai, assembling care packages and serving lunch at the Waianae Homeless Shelter.

Elkton, MD
Painting and sprucing up at the Cecil County Help Center.