Issue 119 - January 2022
NEWS: WORTHY
California JPIA Food Drive Supports Local Youth
“Service and civic responsibility are a key part of the Authority staff’s culture,” said Management Analyst Courtney Morrison, who led the winter service project along with Administrative Assistant Lyndsie Buskirk and Maintenance Worker Chris Yanonis. “Supporting community organizations such as the Orangewood Foundation is a tradition that reinforces our team’s collaborative relationships.”
The Orangewood Foundation annually helps almost 2,000 foster and community youth prepare for independent adulthood by providing groceries and hot meals, transitional housing, life skills workshops, and employment leads.
Although historically the California JPIA’s staff service projects have involved in-person interaction to communicate news and coordinate logistics, this year, most outreach and organization took place online in deference to COVID-19 safety protocols.
Morrison and Buskirk rallied their colleagues to collect donations that would stock the Orangewood Foundation’s pantry shelves. Executive Committee members and other guests also contributed to the group effort while on campus for the December Executive Committee meeting.
At the culmination of the project, Morrison and Buskirk delivered personal care items and non-perishable food such as canned goods, peanut butter, cereal, and instant soup to the Orangewood Foundation. The California JPIA’s donation will be distributed throughout the year at the Foundation’s on-site resource center and Samueli Academy charter high school.
“I am proud that the Authority’s staff supported an organization that helps prepare community youth to be self-sufficient and to achieve their greatest potential,” said Chief Executive Officer Jon Shull.
Visit the Orangewood Foundation website to learn more about the services they provide.
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