HE&R Hosts Day of Service 2024
Making a Difference in Our Community
In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK Day), Hershey Entertainment & Resorts (HE&R) hosted its annual Day of Service on Monday, January 15, 2024. More than 80 volunteers from across our organization came together for a ‘day on, not a day off' to honor Dr. King. Working together, our teams supported local community partners including:
The day started in Harrisburg at the American Red Cross (ARC). Team members prepared items for the organization's Totes for Hopes initiative that helps at-risk and homeless veterans. HE&R staff members sorted personal care items, household cleaning products, socks and hats, kitchen supplies, and more. This effort is part of ARC's Service for Veterans program.
Team members stationed at Cocoa Packs sorted, organized and inventoried donated clothing items for the organization’s Clothing Closet. Other team members formed an assembly line and tackled the preparation of food packs, ensuring each was filled with nutritious meals, snacks, and kindness for the children of Derry Township and the surrounding area.
Across town, team members were hard at work sorting and packing food items at Hershey Food Bank and Community Outreach to help our neighbors in need.
Our team members take pride in giving back to the community and appreciate learning about local organizations and available resources:
“We had a great time today serving at Cocoa Packs! It was fantastic to meet with some of their team to learn about their mission and heart towards the community around us. It was wonderful to see where our donations go and just how impactful they are!”
Meanwhile, a group of team members helped the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central PA take down holiday decorations across the facility, saving their staff members valuable time.
In partnership with the United Way of the Capital Region, HE&R teams tackled several tasks including creating dental kits with personal notes for neighbors in need, assorted ‘busy bag’ projects for kids, bookmarks for literacy programs, and more.
Five team members grabbed paint brushes and rollers to refresh the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts. Staff members and guests to the Whitaker Center will now be greeted with soothing blue and grey walls near the facility's performance space.
For people battling cancer, a note of encouragement can turn a challenging day into a more pleasant one. Our team members wrote notes of care and concern to cancer patients at area facilities, including the Ann Barshinger Cancer Center, Lancaster Cancer Center, WellSpan York Cancer Institute and Hershey Medical Center Cancer Institute in collaboration with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Thanks to our team members, siblings of Penn State Health Children's Hospital patients will soon enjoy activity-filled bags. Packs were filled with coloring pages, crayons, books, notebooks, and stickers to brighten the day for the brothers and sisters of patients.
We appreciate everyone's participation in our Day of Service. Team members who were not able to participate were encouraged to donate blood (there is a severe shortage across the country), help at their church, donate to local food banks, volunteer at their favorite charity, etc. We are overwhelmed by how our team members continuously exemplify HE&R’s Core Values and commitment to the legacy of our founder, Milton S. Hershey.