Paperboard Packaging Council Pitches In for Day of Caring

HOLYOKE — On Friday, Sept. 5, on behalf of the United Way of Pioneer Valley’s 21st annual Day of Caring, the Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) staff helped landscape and beautify the playground of the Peck-Lawrence Full Service Community School (K-3 campus) in Holyoke.

The United Way of Pioneer Valley, a charitable organization that mobilizes people and resources to strengthen local communities, established the Day of Caring to promote the spirit of volunteerism, increase awareness of local human-service organizations, and demonstrate that people can accomplish great things when they come together for the common good.

PPC staff realized this vision as they landscaped the playground of the Peck-Lawrence Full Service Community School, a unique institution that brings together school leaders, faculty, families, and community partner organizations in order to align resources toward academic success. To provide the children a better place to exercise and play, PPC staff cleared the playground’s chain-link fence of unsightly, overgrown vegetation that blocked sunlight to the playground.

“At PPC, we strive to serve our members as well as our local community, and I am pleased that we were able to lend a hand to the Peck-Lawrence School,” said Ben Markens, PPC president and vice chair of the board of directors of the United Way of Pioneer Valley.