Stepping up for a Day of Service

By

December 16, 2019

At PestWorld 2019 in San Diego, Calif., the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) made it easy for attendees to lend a hand. Its inaugural Day of Service event was held Friday, Oct. 18, and everyone was encouraged to help out.

“Our industry has always been committed to giving back to the communities we serve,” said NPMA President Chris Gorecki during a PestWorld general session. “So, it only makes sense that while we’re together in this beautiful city, we take the opportunity to support the local community.”

PHOTO: DIANE SOFRANEC

PHOTO: DIANE SOFRANEC

Each year at PestWorld, the NPMA’s Professional Women in Pest Management (PWIPM) group holds a 5K Fun Run and Walk for charity. This year, the group gave its support to Feeding America, which relies on a nationwide network of food banks to feed millions of people in communities across the country.

Pictured from left: Finishing the PWIPM 5K Fun Run first was Ian Williams of True Tech Wildlife; third was Kevin Lemasters of EnviroPest; and second was Gerry Marsh of Patton Termite & Pest.

PHOTO: DIANE SOFRANEC

PHOTO: DIANE SOFRANEC

PestWorld attendees assembled 500 hygiene kits for Alpha Project, which serves homeless men, women and children in San Diego. Each bag included soap, deodorant, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and a comb or hairbrush.

PHOTO: NPMA

PHOTO: NPMA

Although the NPMA’s Leadership Development Group changed its name to Leadership Networking Community, or LNC, its mission to help a local charity during PestWorld remains. Several LNC members volunteered at the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, which distributes food directly to those in need.

PHOTO: NPMA

PHOTO: NPMA

Members of the NPMA’s PestVets council performed ship restoration duties on the USS Midway, the longest-serving aircraft carrier in the 20th century. After serving the country since 1945 — during the Cold War, the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm — it was decommissioned in 1992. Now docked near the San Diego Convention Center, the popular tourist attraction opened as a museum in 2004.

PHOTO: DIANE SOFRANEC

PHOTO: DIANE SOFRANEC

Signs in PestWorld’s exhibit hall pointed the way for attendees who wanted to help local charities. ABC Home & Commercial Services’ Russell Jenkins and Mary Margaret Jenkins, background, take a break after helping stuff school supplies into backpacks for Monarch School San Diego.

About the Author

Headshot: Diane Sofranec

Diane Sofranec is the senior editor for PMP magazine. She can be reached at dsofranec@northcoastmedia.net or 216-706-3793.

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