Pfizer, a large company based in Havant, have been volunteering their time for the local community in conjunction with Community First for five years. Their commitment to community projects has helped many organisations, by taking time out of their working day to help in any way they can.
November saw a group of six volunteers return to help one of their favourite projects, sorting at the Rowans Hospice sorting depot in Farlington. Rowans Hospice provides the highest quality specialist care, guiding and supporting patients and those closest to them through the journey of their illness at every step of the way. The Rowans have two warehouses where they organise and sort charity donations to be delivered to their twenty-two charity shops around Hampshire.
Pfizer spent a morning at the Farlington warehouse where they split into two teams. One sorted through hundreds of bags of donated clothes making sure they were in the right places ready to be delivered to the shops. The other team sorted through many piles of games, books, and general bric a brac.
Scania a volunteer from Pfizer said “I really enjoy being part of the Pfizer volunteer scheme. This is my chance to give something back to the Rowans for all the help they have given to us, all of the team here today have been touched by the Rowans in some way with the help they have given our friends and family in the past”. The team from Pfizer were in awe of the dedication of the regular volunteers that give their time on a regular basis and wanted to thank them for making the group feel so welcome.
Vanessa Gilding, Health and Safety Manager at the Rowans said “Thank you to the Pfizer team for their support and hard work today. We rely on the support of all of our volunteers to help turn donated goods into saleable items which helps fund the work at Rowans Hospice.”
Without the support of local businesses, many charity and community groups would struggle. For more information about how you can get involved with the Employee Volunteering Scheme contact Rachel Taylor at rachel.taylor@cfirst.org.uk or telephone 01730 774057.