Atlantic Lottery employees have participated in United Way’s Day of Caring for many years. Numerous employees participate year after year to lend a helping hand at various not-for-profit organizations in the Greater Moncton Area and the latest edition was no exception.

Held annually in June, United Way was unsure for some time if the 2020 event would be able to proceed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions. Only shortly before the originally planned date, the organization decided it would still host the volunteerism day with additional safety measures in place.

Despite the short notice, Atlantic Lottery pulled together a small team of employee volunteers from our head office who were eager to participate. The group spent the day doing yard work and gardening at the Shediac Community Garden and the Kenneth E. Spencer Memorial Home in Moncton.

“Nursing home residents still couldn’t have visitors at that time, and the people were just so happy to see us outside,” said Samantha Burke, chair of Atlantic Lottery’s internal United Way committee. “They were tapping at the windows, waving to us and thanking us from inside.”

It was the first time gardening happened at the Kenneth E. Spencer Memorial Home in a number of years, as the volunteers who used to do the work are no longer able to do so.

“The work there wouldn’t have got done without AL employees volunteering their time for Day of Caring,” Burke said. “Even though we were facing strange and unprecedented times, I hope it made the residents and community members happy to see both our volunteers working, and their updated flower and vegetable gardens.”

Many of the Atlantic Lottery employees who volunteered at Day of Caring have noted that it felt better than ever to get out and give back to their community during these challenging times.