Over 100 hours of volunteering – Employees ‘Give Back’
July 2022
As part of MSD’s volunteering policy – employees attended a 2 day event with a London charity
In the first week of July, members of our Early Talent Forum, comprised of student placements, graduates, and apprentices, utilised MSD’s volunteering leave policy to collectively commit over 100 hours of volunteering at The Passage – London’s largest voluntary sector day centre for homeless and vulnerable people.
Across 2 days, they worked intensely to prepare food for a fundraising event. The sessions were held at The Passage’s Resource Centre in Westminster, where the charity provides immediate services like meals, showers, laundry, medical appointments, and substance misuse and mental health support.
Our volunteers were called upon to help preparations for The Passages annual Summer Garden Party. Rolling their sleeves up for two busy days of chopping, slicing, and dicing, our volunteers helped ready a buffet of food items, including hulling 250 punnets of strawberries, dicing over 200 onions, and packaging 200+ tubs of coleslaw, salad, and salsa.
The impact of their work was imminently felt. ‘We only have two permanent chefs’ Fran Hodge, Volunteering Manager at the Passage told our volunteers, ‘They’re fun and they run a tight ship.’ With only two days to go before the big event, and preparations to be made for over 500+ people, our early talent volunteers were eager and active in fulfilling their culinary duties.
The event was labelled a ‘gleaming success’ and fundraised for the hundreds of vulnerable people and rough sleepers the Passage aids, helping them to live safe, happy and fulfilling live.
Having completed his volunteering session feeling freshly fulfilled, ETF co-lead and volunteer co-ordinator, Sam Rogers, reflects on his experience ‘MSD’s volunteering policy speaks to something that is intrinsic to everyone in the company – a want to ‘give back’. We really want to thank all the wonderful people at The Passage. It was inspiring to see the passion and hard work behind what you do and rewarding for us to get an insight into your world and lend a helping hand’’
GB-NON-06233 | Date of Preparation: July 2022