Community & Employee Relations

Community Relations - Local Volunteer Stories

Here are just a few encouraging stories of how Bard employees are making a difference in their local communities.

Bard Takes a Bite Out of Hunger in 2009

These are difficult times for many families. While many of us are cutting back on unnecessary purchases, there are people in our communities - our neighbors - who are struggling to pay for the most basic necessities.

Food banks are under pressure to keep up with demand, as more and more people find themselves without the resources to pay for meals and groceries. The local food bank that is supported by many of our Corporate employees in New Jersey, for instance, saw a 20% increase in the number of people seeking assistance in 2008.

It’s not just an urban problem. It’s not just a rural problem. With an estimated 923 million people in the world going hungry, it’s a global problem.

It’s a crisis that Bard hopes to help alleviate by making hunger the focus of its 2009 community service campaign, Bard Takes a Bite Out of Hunger. “In 2007, we saw the impact that Bard can have in the community through the tremendously successful ‘100 Acts of Kindness’ campaign,” says Linda Hrevnack, Manager, Community Relations. “If we put that kind of coordinated effort into supporting our local food banks, soup kitchens, and other non-profit organizations that are leading the fight against hunger, we can make a difference in the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of people.”

• Jo Brittle and eleven of her coworkers from BARD’s Moncks Corner, South Carolina facility kicked off their annual participation in the Relay for Life by building a float for the American Cancer Society Christmas parades in November, 2008. About 30 hours of work went into the “Happy Feet”-themed float, which took second place in the St. Stephen Christmas parade and first place in the Moncks Corner Christmas parade. The 2009 Relay for Life of Moncks Corner is scheduled for April 24. 2009.
  
• In November, 15 Bard Taiwan employees voluntarily cleaned up the garbage along one of the most popular beaches in northern Taiwan, Dan-Shui Beach. “We are glad that we can play a small but important role in protecting the environment of the Earth,” says Pacy Chen.  “Through this clean-up activity, we also hope to influence people so they will start doing so proactively.”
  
• On November 7th, seven employees from BARD's corporate office in Murray Hill spent the day helping Habitat for Humanity complete their 31st house in the town of Plainfield. Volunteers spent the day hanging sheetrock on walls and ceilings in the garage, kitchen, and upstairs bedrooms. Some volunteers removed the forms used to pour the concrete sidewalks and graded the soil around the new sidewalks. 
  
• After 438 training miles, Laura Brooks of BARD’s Moncks Corner facility participated in the Alaska Marathon to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on June 21st. “It was fun, but it was the most difficult physical challenge I have ever put myself through,” she says. Thanks to friends, family and co-workers at BARD, she was able to exceed her individual fundraising goal of $5,000. In total, the entire group that traveled to Alaska from all over the country raised more than
  $4.4 million.