C&S Wholesale Grocers Celebrates National Volunteer Week

April 19, 2012 - PRLog -- Keene, NH - In celebration of National Volunteer Week, C&S Wholesale Grocers is pleased to announce that Christopher Sleeper is the company's 2012 Volunteer of the Year. Chris, a C&S employee since 2007, is a truck driver based out of the company’s Upper Marlboro, Maryland distribution center. When he’s not behind the wheel for C&S, Chris Sleeper drives the truck for the St. Leonard Volunteer Fire & Rescue Squad where he has been volunteering for more than 16 years.  

The recipient of many awards for his lifesaving work, Chris is devoted to helping people. He says with quiet humility, “I believe there is no greater reward as a volunteer firefighter and EMT than to be able to help another person in their time of need.”  He currently serves as the Vice President of the organization which responds to over 2,000 fire and emergency medical service calls each year.

As further inspiration, Chris, who was diagnosed with leukemia a few years ago, recently wore his full firefighting gear when climbing 69 flights of stairs in the 2012 Firefighters Stair Climb to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Chris became a candidate for the C&S Volunteer of the Year award by submitting a C&S Dollars for Doers application. A panel of company employees rated each application for spirit of volunteerism, leadership, and the desire to make a difference in people's lives. Through the Dollars for Doers program, nonprofit organizations benefit twice: once from the C&S employee's contribution of time, and again from a C&S matching contribution of $1 per hour volunteered, to a maximum of $1,000.

C&S also announces:

A Volunteer Expo will be held on April 20 at its corporate headquarters. This event will provide opportunities for employees to learn about getting involved and expanding personal and professional development through volunteer service. Representatives from more than a dozen area nonprofit groups in the focus areas of Hunger, Children/Community, and the Environment will participate to talk about hands-on volunteering, skills-based volunteering and board-level/governance volunteering.

A Service Sabbatical program has been created as a new signature initiative in the company’s array of volunteerism programs which includes Dollars for Doers, Make A Difference Day, Volunteer of the Year, and Team Up and Make Strides.  Up to two employees annually will be eligible for a paid 2- to 4-week service sabbatical to share their energy and skills to impact a cause through volunteering.  The program will roll out later this year.


About National Volunteer Week
National Volunteer Week, April 15-21, is about taking action and encouraging individuals and their respective communities to be at the center of social change– discovering and actively demonstrating their collective power to foster positive
transformation. Sponsored by Points of Light Institute, National Volunteer Week was established in 1974 and has grown exponentially each subsequent year, with thousands of volunteer projects and special events scheduled throughout the week.

About C&S Wholesale Grocers
C&S community involvement programs support initiatives to stop hunger and to promote the health and enrichment of communities that are homes to the company's employees and facilities.

C&S Wholesale Grocers of Keene, N.H. is the largest food wholesaler and according to Forbes magazine, the ninth largest privately held company in the United States. The company distributes food to supermarkets, retail stores and military bases across the country.  

Currently, C&S serves about 3,900 stores from more than 50 locations in 11 states. Among our customers are many of America's best known companies, including Stop & Shop, Giant of Carlisle, Giant of Landover, Shaw's, Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (A&P), Ralphs, Safeway and Target.