NU serving its community

A group of Nipissing employees recently gave back to the North Bay community by volunteering at the Gathering Place. The employees, members of OPSEU and the Human Resources department, pitched in on food preparation, dining room set-up and serving customers.

The idea originated with OPSEU, who presented it to HR as a way for the university to help its home community.

Six employees volunteered: Rob Boulet, Learning Systems Technologist; Cindy Brownlee, Admissions Clerk; Jodee Brown Yeo, Office Administrator, Human Resources; Marg Foisy Iwanchun, Client Services Technician; Jenny Mackie, Manager, Human Resources; and Cheryl Sutton, Director of Human Resources and Employee Relations.

“This was a great idea from OPSEU and we were very happy to get involved,” said Sutton. “We’d certainly like to do this again, and ideally another group of university employees can have the same kind of experience in the future. It really is a very rewarding experience to give back to the community in this manner.”

Any employees interested in getting involved in future volunteer opportunities should contact Jodee Brown Yeo in Nipissing’s HR department, or local OPSEU president Rob Boulet.

The Gathering Place is North Bay’s community soup kitchen. They serve hot, tasty, nutritious meals free of charge, prepared by volunteers and funded by sponsors. Anyone in need is welcome in their dining room.