COVID-19: Volunteering in Canada
Boehringer Ingelheim employees across Canada are out in their communities helping to support urgent community needs created by the pandemic, doing their part to help people feel cared for and connected #ForBetterHealth during the pandemic.
No one should go hungry during the Covid-19 pandemic
The Greater Vancouver Food Bank (GVFB) has been providing food support for its community for decades. In the best of times, food banks rely on their regular volunteers to help meet the needs of their clients from all walks of life. During the pandemic, many of the regular GVFB volunteers, most of whom are seniors, are staying home because they are some of the most vulnerable to the virus.
Enrico Sirianni, Specialty Sales Representative, wanted to help his community during the pandemic in any way he could. Enrico did some research and found the call for volunteers at GVFB. Without hesitation, Enrico reached out and signed up for an afternoon of receiving, sorting, stocking and packaging up donated food for delivery. By volunteering, Enrico felt connected to his community and was grateful to be able to play a part in helping out.
Enrico considers himself and his family some of the lucky ones who have never had to deal with the stress of empty cupboards and worrying where their next meal is coming from. These are difficult times, but Enrico believes no one should go hungry during the pandemic.
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Helping to improve health and well-being in the community
As a Medical Sales Representative, Joe Gullo is used to travelling to meet with his customers in the Greater Toronto Area. During the pandemic, Joe has been displaying his patient-centric values, to provide a different type of service to improve health and well-being in the community.
Through TransCare Community Support Services, Joe has been volunteering to deliver meals to people who need assistance due to illness, convalescence, disability or functional limitations related to aging. The meals are developed by dieticians with expertise in nutrition for older adults, and a range of special diets are prepared for their clients.
Joe has been touched by the volunteer experience; at times, it has been difficult to see first-hand the sadness of the elderly who use this important lifeline. As BI employees, we strive passionately to improve health. One delivery at a time, Joe is improving the health of his community, and providing a human connection.
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Making sure furry loved ones are in good hands
Damon Thompson, Territory Manager for Animal Health and a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) by trade, was in a unique position to be able to lend a helping hand to one of his veterinary customers during the pandemic.
When the pandemic hit, Damon reached out to his customers to see if he could be of service in any way as they navigated the disruptions of business-as-usual and found new ways of working. One of his customers saw an opportunity for Damon, given his clinical and technical background, to help for one day at the Tillsonburg Veterinary Centre, since their regular RVT required a personal day-off. Just like that, Damon jumped right back into action to help with the furry loved ones.
Damon assisted the veterinary team with urgent care cases that day, including administering vaccines, blood collection for blood work, placing IV catheters and assisting during a major bite-wound surgery. This was a big relief to the vet, who would have had great difficulty performing these tasks without an RVT present.
For his part, Damon was thankful to have the opportunity to lend a hand, support a local veterinary clinic, and meet some new furry friends.
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Delivering artist-made masks to tight-knit community
Jane Gyles has lived in the small, tight-knit community of Collingwood, Ontario for over 20 years. It was this sense of community that led Jane, a Medical Sales Representative, to volunteer during Covid-19.
The Town of Collingwood developed an online sign-up sheet intended to build a Collingwood Together network of volunteers. Through this online coordination, Jane matched with a group called RAW Artists Canada, which is an arm of the world’s largest independent arts organization.
In its efforts to contribute during the pandemic, RAW Artists Canada mobilized artists from local communities to help sew masks and recruit other volunteers to deliver the masks. Those most in need of masks comprised of homeless shelters, crisis shelters, retirement homes, and long-term care facilities.
On the designated day, Jane safely delivered masks to Collingwood nursing homes – part of a national team of volunteer couriers who helped deliver 4,000 masks across Canada.
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Hand-making hundreds of face masks for COVID-19 crisis
When the pandemic hit Canada, Kim Pho, a Specialty Care Customer Account Manager based in Kingston, Ontario, joined a community group ‘Masks for KGH Sewing Group’ that was looking for help sewing masks. The call was to be creative and use what you have on hand.
A few thousand fabric masks have been produced by the group so far. Being mostly made of common fabric and elastics, the handmade masks can’t be used by medical professionals, but they can help prevent the spread of the virus inside the hospital by people who need to go there. According to Kim, the facemasks were first distributed to patients who were entering local hospitals for tests or treatment. The masks are great for patients who have longer appointments such as dialysis or cancer therapies. Patients and their caregivers are able to take them home to wash and reuse for their next visit.
Kim has been able to sew 10 masks a day during the week and 30-40 masks a day on the weekend. Her personal goal is to sew a total of 500 masks (her current tally is just shy of 400).