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PaperFree believes in community and giving back. Twice a year our employees volunteer their time at a local charity, foundation, or organization of their choosing. By doing this, we assist these organizations in furthering their causes, help those who are disadvantaged, and make our community a better place to be.
Below are reflections from our employees on their volunteering experiences.
Solutions for Change is an organization that is not just only a homeless shelter, but their goal is to permanently solve homelessness by providing families the opportunities and access to skills and resources needed to rebuild their future. Every Saturday morning, parents are responsible for cleaning their homes and need volunteers to help watch and care for their children during that time.
I spent most of my Saturday morning watching a group of 7 children while the women cleaned the shelter. The ages of the children ranged from 1 year to 9 years old. As I was caring for the children, I realized that no matter the living situation or circumstance, the thing that I do have in common with these women was that we are all mothers who want to provide the best for our children. It was my pleasure to have helped, even for just a day, as these families work to get back on their feet.
I was able to catch one of the few winter harvests from HarvestCROPS. What this organization does is gather a group of volunteers to harvest fruit from local residents and donate the fruit to low-income families. Fresh fruit and vegetables can be difficult for low-income families to have because they can be quite expensive at grocery stores. What's great about this process is that it benefits all groups that are included. The local residents get a tax deduction, their yard cleaned, and a good feeling that their fruit is not going to waste. The low-income families get fresh fruit on their table at no cost. And the volunteers are left knowing that they've helped their community. The organization has donated over 200,000 lb. of fruit since starting in 2009.
The harvest for the day was picking oranges from a resident in Lemon Grove. In a single harvest, we easily picked over 100lb of fruit. This was a unique volunteer experience for me because of how small the group was but I felt like our small group of just four people made an impact on many. Knowing that I was able to put a nice little sweet-treat on someone’s table made this a great experience for me. I will definitely be looking out for more opportunities with HarvestCROPS in the future.
I recently had the opportunity to use my sewing skills in a way that would benefit those in need. For the first part of my volunteer work I, plus many other women at my church, prepared and sewed about 100 pillowcase-sized fabric drawstring bags for a small charity project called Holiday Gift Bags. This family-run effort fills the bags with essentials such as toothpaste, wipes, packaged food, and more to hand out to local homeless on Christmas. The drawstring "gift" bag itself is a helpful item, as it also doubles as a clean, fresh place to store belongings, or even as a pillow once filled with soft items. We came in because the organization reports that they have little problem gathering the items to include in the bags as the effort has grown to include many students and staff at Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista, but run into trouble when it comes to procuring the bags themselves because purchasing something ready made of equal quality to a handmade bag is cost prohibitive. Fortunately, many of us can sew these relatively simple bags and were happy to do so.
For the second part of my volunteer work I hand-tied and finished three baby quilts, sewn by a group of women at church. My role was especially helpful as it is the most tedious and time-intensive part of the quilt making and the other women could instead focus on churning out more quilts this way. These quilts are made as an effort to provide, free of charge, warm and quality baby quilts to needy families who give birth at the naval medical center on Camp Pendleton. The recipient families are families who cannot otherwise afford the essentials that a baby requires, and the gift of a quilt not only keeps that baby warm and cozy (especially now that we're in the winter), but it also helps to free up funds so that the family can more easily afford needed items.
All told, the two projects spanned the course of several evenings and it's a nice feeling being able to produce durable goods that will help the daily lives of people in need.
I had the pleasure of helping with the 3rd annual Jack-O-Smash Race. I was able to assist setting up for event and checking in runners for the race. In addition to 15k, 10k, 5k, and a 1 mile race, the event also has a Family Fun Festival that takes place after the races. This Non-Profit event is put on to contribute to three programs that assist children and adults with special needs. The specific programs they contribute to are the PoVa Therapeutic Riding Center, Abraxas Transition Program, and PUSDSEF.
Personally I was excited to be able to help for such great cause. Not only did I grow up with a wonderful Aunt who has special needs, but my two brothers work daily with children and adults with special needs for their perspective vocations. This has helped me understand what an impact an event like this can have. Seeing that first hand was a great experience, and I hope to make my participation an annual event moving forward.
Day 1: La Jolla Cove|Wind and Sea
Labor Day weekend seemed to be a good time to find a volunteer opportunity to Give Back to the Community since the new 4-day work week policy provided us with the two glorious 4-day weekends in 2 months. I figured I could spend a day volunteering and still enjoy a full 3-day weekend! I came up with this great idea a few days before the holiday and found that my search for volunteer opportunities available on short notice was coming up empty.
So I decided to sponsor my own clean up the community day. Those who are close to me know that I have a bit of an OCD condition when it comes to trash. Trash generally does not last a day in my house. I empty it obsessively. The idea of picking up the trash of strangers was terrifying but at the same time, a convenient opportunity because God knows there is trash everywhere!
I set out Friday morning armed with my heavy yellow utility gloves and a handful of plastic grocery bags. Started walking north in my Wind and Sea neighborhood guessing that La Jolla, being a relatively upscale neighborhood, would also be pretty clean. Boy was I mistaken. The first grocery bag was full in less than 10 minutes. And I mean FULL!
The optimistic and naïve Nikki thought that I would knock out my trash collection in one day. Little did I know that when you are picking up trash on the street that you bend over at least once every 3 to 5 steps. After 2.5 hours of walking and all of my bags filled, I could barely stand up straight. Lucky for me, I had 3 more days to fit in my 9 hours of volunteer work!
I found it interesting how folks react to someone picking up trash solo. Lots of curious stares. Seemed that some folks were trying to figure out if I was collecting bottles and cans or just perhaps a little crazy. On mile 4 or 5, a woman about my age who was walking with her husband in the opposite direction, said ‘Thanks. That’s really nice of you.’ I raised my soiled yellow glove in silence and kept picking up cigarette butts.
That first day also taught me the rules of engagement which I was not prepared for but were required in order for me to complete my task and avoid my continued desire to ‘throw in the yellow glove’ and call it quits. I had just three rules:
Rule 1: It’s OK to pass trash that may contain bodily fluids or solids. Now I’m not talking Kleenex! That first day, in my early zeal, I picked up a few items that I greatly regretted. On days 2, 3, and 4 I was far more observant and selective before picking up certain items.
Rule 2: Once you pick it up, you have to keep it, no matter how disgusting and even if you break Rule 1. That is the rule I had to create and follow in those cases where I did pick up an item that probably had been used for a very personal purpose. Once it was in my gloved hand, if I threw it back on the ground, I was the one littering!
Rule 3: Don’t risk your life for a random piece of trash. You’re doing something good but that does not give you super powers.
Rule 3 came into play on my first day once I got into the groove of trash collection and was feeling an initial ‘high’ of giving back. As I walked toward La Jolla cove, I spotted something on the rocks. First I started to pass it and then walked back and thought, I can go get that. It’s so ugly and ruining that beautiful rock. I crawled under the fence with the sign warning pedestrians to stay away from the edge of the dangerous rocks. That damn piece of trash was luring me to the edge. I finally came to my senses and let the dirty sock win.
I was feeling a little defeated at that point but just as I got past those rocks, I was given the gift of this kindred spirit who I swear turned and looked up at me as if to say…‘don’t you worry. There’s lots more trash at arm’s length.’
I received great satisfaction when I threw away the last full trash bag along with my yellow glove to end Day 1.
Day 2: Embarcadero and Little Italy
Saturday morning I set out with another stash of bags and a fresh glove. Drove downtown for a different view of the trash world.
The holiday weekend and beautiful weather brought out lots of folks and plenty of trash. As I worked my way through the embarcadero area near the Star of India and the Midway, my constant stopping was starting to become a nuisance. Without a sign on my back warning folks of frequent stops, I was getting in the way of tourists and had a few close calls with pedicabs. So I headed north of the County Administration Building and found myself in Little Italy.
Such a friendly, clean community, I thought I had hit the jackpot and would be hard-pressed to fill my bags in my allotted 2.5 hours. Boy was I mistaken! I must have picked up 1,000 cigarette butts that day along with other assorted trash, mostly food related. Good grief! Does everyone who goes to Little Italy instantly become a smoker?
Fewer curious looks that day. I think most folks assumed that trash collection was my job. One woman came up to me and asked if I had found a license, which she misplaced the night before. A restaurant owner shot me a timid ‘Grazie’ as I scooped up dozens of cigarette butts from his front patio. And there was that one genuine ‘Thank you’ from a woman about my age who seemed to understand my mission. By far the best human interaction moment of the day came when I made eye contact with a smoker who walked a few extra steps to put out his cigarette in a little ash tray at the top of a trash can on the street.
One interesting note about different forms of trash and how different communities feel about it. For all of you pet owners who use those little plastic bags to pick up after your dogs, please note that Little Italy has message for you. Even in our current drought conditions, don’t let your dog water the trees!
The last trash bag and yellow glove found their resting place around lunchtime.
Day 3: La Jolla|Bird Rock
Sunday was the toughest day. My back was sore from bending, I was sunburnt from the two previous days, and mostly I was sick of picking up trash. So I kept close to home and headed south toward Bird Rock. I’ve driven up and down La Jolla Blvd a thousand times in past 2 years and never noticed the mounds of trash tucked in the corner of the curbs, on the sidewalks, in the grassy areas, and especially around bus stops.
I also found more empty alcohol bottles and cans in this area than any other. The homeless footprint in La Jolla is almost non-existent so I could only assume that these were remnants of under-aged kids partying after a football game. Surely somebody else’s kid, not mine!
Being tired and cranky on day 3, I was especially annoyed by my uncanny ability to ALWAYS pick the right hand glove out of the jumbo bag of 5 pairs of gloves that I purchased as Home Depot. So each day I found myself wearing a right handed glove backwards and pinched on my left hand.
Day 3 was also the day I regretted Rule #2 on multiple occasions. My path had many grassy and dried areas with trash that seemed harmless at first, but had scary stuff hidden on the underside. Also, there were very few trash cans available for me to dispose of my full bags. I found myself walking for at least half a mile with 3 full bags of trash and carrying a crumbled, wet cardboard box. Not a pretty sight.
And yet, just when I was feeling a little sorry for myself, a woman, about my age, waiting with her family to be seated for brunch, gave me a smile and said Thanks.
Day 4: Mission Beach
On Labor Day morning I woke with a much better attitude. This was my final trash collection day. I will be victorious! So I loaded up my bike with empty bags and a left-handed glove, and headed south about 6 miles to my old stomping grounds. I lived in the heart of Mission Beach for seven years. This was a gritty neighborhood and needed my new found skills.
I was struck first and foremost by the cleanliness of the boardwalk. I expected to fill my bags in record time but that was not the case. A straw wrapper here, a cigarette butt there, and random napkins, etc. Secondly, my 3-day string of a single thanks by a woman my age was broken. To my surprise, EVERYONE was providing support….young, old, black, white, male, female, walkers, bikers, surfers. My biggest cheering section was a group of 4 Rastafarians.
Since little progress was being made on the boardwalk, I headed over to Mission Blvd. That was a good move. The trash was plentiful. After making my way from the roller coaster up to the PB pier, I headed back south on the boardwalk. By that time, the trash was piling up as the beach crowd increased. By the time I reached my bike, which was parked close to the roller coaster, I was ready to retire my final grocery bag of trash and well fitting, but soiled yellow glove.
In 4 days, I walked close to 30 miles and collected 35 bags of trash along with assorted items that were too big for the bags. I would like to tell you that the experience cured me of my OCD tendency but that’s just not true. I’d also like to tell you that I now pick up trash all the time, but that would also be untrue. I can say that I do notice trash more now and am scoping out locations to put those remaining 6 yellow gloves to good use on selected weekend walks and afternoon walks near the office.
For several years now, PaperFree has had the distinct honor of donating to this great cause. The annual golf tournament raises funds each year for the PointtheWayFoundation (www.pointthewayfoundation.org). This foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting charitable endeavors for the families and children of military communities nationwide. The charity has donated to numerous military, community, and children organizations over the years. Several employees are involved in this event each year that includes a great day of golf, camaraderie, and charitable giving.
Visit the Diablo Golf Classic Charity Tournament
For years I have reached out to friends and family to help me reach my annual fund raising goal for this great cause. This cause is dedicated to the early detection of Breast Cancer with an emphasis on men and women under the age of 40. Inspired by athletes everywhere, local communities come together to fundraise and help in detecting potentially life threatening Breast Cancer occurrences. PaperFree is a big part of my family and we all support this cause each year in hopes of making a real difference for those in our community who might be at risk.
Visit Barbells for Boobs
A couple times a year, my family, friends and I help build awarerness, raise funds and donate our time for walkathons and bike races for Cystic Fibrosis in San Diego. For the most recent walkathon, we raised over $6000 to help find a cure for CF. We have now been participating in the CF events for almost 10 years. The great part about these events, they help bring the CF community together as well so many other people. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs but also the pancreas, liver, kidneys, and intestine. Long-term issues include difficulty breathing and coughing up mucus as a result of frequent lung infections.