The uncommon agency for the common good

Time Well Spent

Jan 11, 2021 | by Madeleine Dykes | Agency Life, Corporate Responsibility

Civilians Give Back Nearly 100 Volunteer Hours in 2020

Here at Civilian, we have a relentless desire to help others. We tackle the most complex issues affecting the communities we live in and are hell-bent on making a difference by doing work that matters. As part of that belief, we provide employees with paid time off every year to volunteer in our local community. Although 2020 was not the year we expected, more than 80 percent of us got out there this year to volunteer throughout the community, make a difference, and spread joy in the city we love.

As the pandemic created widespread economic hardship, many of our teams focused their time on getting food into the hands of those who needed it:

The Creative, Project Management, and Finance teams volunteered at Mama’s Kitchen, where they prepared and delivered nutritious meals to local San Diegans struggling with AIDS or cancer and who are too sick to shop and cook for themselves.

The Account Services team volunteered at Feeding San Diego, where they presorted food to be delivered to food pantries, homeless shelters, and other aid organizations around the region.

The Communications and Outreach team packed up and handed out school lunches for families in lockdown who continued to rely on school lunches for their kids.

The Business Development team spent a day packing up food at the Father Joe’s Village food distribution warehouse.

The Digital team volunteered at Kitchens for Good, an apprenticeship program that allows people with troubled pasts to learn the skills to launch meaningful culinary careers while providing meals for San Diegans facing food insecurity. The team helped pack 700 meals, breaking the one-day record for most meals packed!

Rounding out the year, the Media Services team volunteered at Porchlight Community Services Food Pantry, an organization that collects unused bulk food from groceries, restaurants, and even airlines to provide for 30 food-insecure families per week.

In addition to fighting local food insecurity, Civilian also found opportunities to benefit the environment and increase diversity in our field through youth mentorship.

In November, the Account Services team planted trees around Flinn Springs County Park and finished the day with some amazing BBQ.

And a few Media team members doubled down by signing up to mentor with SPEAK (Support Prepare Empower Aspiring Kids). An organization that pairs high school students with mentors from an array of backgrounds and professions to provide tips on career selection, growth, college choices, and more to help develop a generation of diverse leaders across career fields and help ensure diverse youth get a fair chance of pursuing college and careers of their choice. 

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