Skadden Employees Pack Lunches and Hygiene Kits to Help Chicagoans in Need
The Salvation Army is grateful for the employees of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and their families, who completed a Day of Service Project with us in January and provided this guest blog. As we celebrate National Volunteer Week, we offer our heartfelt thanks to them and to all the volunteers who help us Fight for Good every day.
On Monday, January 21, Skadden attorneys, staff, family and friends came together to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with the annual Day of Service Project.
This year's project benefited two separate Salvation Army housing facilities. The first, Harbor Light Center, is an in-patient substance abuse center serving over 1,200 individuals each year by providing holistic services and care for individuals through all stages of their recovery, including job search support. The second, the Shield of Hope Center, provides families in crisis with a place to stay, as well as case management services to help them get back on their feet.
Thanks to the help of Skadden’s 60 volunteers, 100 hygiene kits, 400 boxed lunches and 7 fleece blankets were assembled in less than two hours and then transported to both facilities. Two representatives from The Salvation Army, Linda Reiter and Bill Vogt, were in attendance and spoke at the beginning of the event about the importance and impact of the lunches, hygiene kits, and fleece blankets that were about to be made.
The box lunches featured one of four types of sandwiches, a bag of chips, an apple, a bottle of water, cutlery and condiments and a lemon bar for dessert. Prior to being filled with these items, the boxes themselves were hand-decorated by a team of creative volunteers with drawings, stickers and words of encouragement.
The hygiene kits were assembled with a variety of toiletries and other necessary items, including body wash, toothbrush and toothpaste, socks, wash cloths and gloves, and the kit contents were placed into individual drawstring bags. The fleece blankets were cut and assembled with different superhero themes for all ages.
Though completing these projects took only a small amount of time, the impact they had on members of the community is even greater. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., stated, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" For the employees at Skadden, the answer is, "As much as we can, as often as we can!"
Learn how you can join the Fight for Good: