SPRINGFIELD, MA - As part of the United Way’s Day of Caring, on Friday, August 30, 2013, Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) staff helped paint and landscape the grounds at the Dunbar YMCA Family and Community Center in downtown Springfield, MA. 

The Day of Caring was established in 1992 to bolster community spirit and volunteerism with the United Way, a national coalition of volunteers, sponsors, and charities that assist people in their own neighborhoods. PPC President Ben Markens is a Board Member of the United Way of Pioneer Valley and this is the second year that the PPC staff has participated in this event. 

PPC staff spent the day weeding the Center’s overgrown grounds and helped refurbish a non-useable basement by creating a new partition and painting the walls in various colors to create distinct spaces for tutoring and other crucial after-school programs.

"I was pleased to spend the Day of Caring at the local Dunbar YMCA because they do such important community building,” commented Ben Markens, PPC President and United Way Board Member. “Our staff was grateful for the opportunity to spruce up their gardens and basement, especially knowing that so many local residents use this wonderful facility and take advantage of their programs.”