As summer comes to a close, we feel that it’s important to remind everyone about the importance of donating to your local food banks. As we mentioned, summer brings a very high demand on food banks. Many children rely on free or subsidized meal programs at school during the school year. However, once school lets out for the summer, this safety net against hunger vanishes.
As a result, many families look to food banks for support. The peak time for donations is around the holidays and we see substantially fewer donations during the summer. Because of the higher demand for food, and the lack of donations, many food banks struggle over the summer months. By the time kids are going back to school, it’s likely that their supplies are heavily depleted.
It’s important to remember to give to food banks throughout the year, and not just during the holidays. You may have seen some of our billboards around town promoting food donations to food banks. At Oxner + Permar, we believe it’s important to look after our community in any way possible. Helping to make sure that everyone has access to a good meal is just one way we do our part.
At Oxner + Permar, we believe in giving back in a variety of ways, including providing valuable educational opportunities. It’s important that all citizens of the community are informed of their rights. Making information freely available is a huge part of ensuring that the community is aware of the the laws that concern their everyday life. That’s why we like to host informational events in and around the Greensboro area.
On June 23rd, we helped host an informational event at Daystar Church. The goal of this event was to speak on issues that affect the Hispanic community of Greensboro. We had a variety of speakers such as Eric Ramirez, one of our distinguished workers’ compensation attorneys.
We also heard from Jessica Yañez (Yañez Immigration Law), who spoke about the laws and regulations that often come into play with immigration. The Immigrants Rights Working Group joined us to talk about the different ways that they provide services to immigrants in the U.S. The group is dedicated to fighting anti-immigration policy, supporting immigration cases, and providing education on immigration law. And FaithAction International House partnered with us as advocates for immigrants working to build understanding and a sense of belonging. Finally, the Greensboro Police Department provided information and support, which we appreciate as well. It takes all kinds of partners to help ensure our community is well informed and well supported.
After a brief overview from each of the presenters on their area of expertise, we opened up the floor for a Q&A session. This was an excellent opportunity for members of the community to ask question and stay informed of their rights. We’re so glad this was such a successful event, and we hope to see you at the next one!
At Oxner + Permar, we’re not only passionate about our clients, we’re also passionate about giving back to our communities. In May, we had the awesome experience of getting to work with Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity is an incredible organization that builds homes for families in need.
They work with a variety of volunteers and companies to help get these homes built. So, on May 13th, we spent the weekend helping with a build in Greensboro. Eleven members from our office met up with a team through the Greensboro Bar Association and came together to build this home.
It was such an incredible experience! For one, the family was there working with us to shingle the roof. We had a great time getting to know the family and talking with them about their experiences. Everyone was so kind. Some of the other volunteers were also hoping to seek help from Habitat for Humanity. They’d put their applications for assistance in, but in order to be considered, they needed to log a certain number of volunteer hours with Habitat.
And in the end, we got the roof finished! We had such a wonderful time getting to know everybody, and spending a day giving back to the community. It’s truly a wonderful opportunity to not only lend a hand, but get to meet the people we were helping. We’re looking forward to our next opportunity to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity!
If you’re interested in volunteering for Habitat for Humanity or have any questions about their organization, be sure to visit their website!
We talked last month about a couple of charities that Oxner + Permar is proud to work with, and this month we thought we’d share another. A Simple Gesture is a wonderful program dedicated to making sure that food banks and pantries are fully stocked with everything they need to help serve the community. While this program has a national reach, we work directly with the Greensboro branch to ensure that we’re doing our part for our community.
Participation is, as the name suggests, simple. But it makes a huge difference! Every month we give our employees little green bags. When they go to the grocery store, the just need to buy an additional nonperishable food item to fill the bag. Then, once a month, a volunteer comes to collect all of our full green bags. They distribute the bags to organizations such as Out of the Garden, The Greensboro Urban Ministry, Backpack Beginnings and Jewish Family Services.
All of the organizations that A Simple Gesture donates to have waiting lists to fill. It makes us happy to know that we’re helping to alleviate some of that need. If you’re interested in helping out or donating to A Simple Gesture, get your company involved, or sign up as an individual! Volunteers will drive to your house to collect your green bag, which means you can give without having to take time out of your busy routine.
It’s impossible to overlook it. New construction is going up everywhere in the Triangle. Whether it’s the newest set of apartments around the corner or the new shopping center that’s expanding down the street, it’s inescapable. Have you seen the Catholic Cathedral that’s going up off Centennial Parkway near the NC State campus? It’s massive! And it’s not even at the top of the list of the most expensive construction projects happening in the Triangle this year.
I’ve heard a lot of different opinions about all the construction: Some people are really excited about all of the growth and the opportunities for new jobs. Others are annoyed with the noise and traffic that comes with construction and the congestion that comes with an increase in visitors or overall population.
Whether you love it or hate it, the fact is that this growth doesn’t seem to be going anywhere — which is great for the construction industry who falls firmly on the “love it” side of things. But with all of this new construction comes construction-related dangers. When more people are working, the chance of injury is going to be higher. So it’s important to keep proper safety guidelines in mind.
If you are injured at work, be sure to file a workers’ compensation claim. Most work-related injuries are covered by workman’s comp. Workers’ comp claims can be a long process, so it never hurts to have a workers’ comp attorney on your side who can help guide you through your claim.
