Every October, UPS delivers more than just parcels and packages to communities around the world. In Hong Kong alone, 380 company employees and their families volunteered around 1,700 hours in support of six community activities last October.
'It started as a week-long programme in 2003 and grew into a month-long commitment to build, beautify and better our communities starting in 2008,' says David Cheung, human resources manager at UPS Hong Kong.
'UPS encourages its employees around the world to make a positive impact in their communities by donating their time and talent to people and organisations in need,' he adds.
Mike Cheng has been with the package delivery company for 18 years and works as an operator with the UPS data management team in Hong Kong.
'As a committee member of the UPS Eighth Global Volunteer Month, I participated in the Low Income Family Children and Asian Children Carnival Day, and the Organic Banana Tree Harvesting Day,' Cheng says.
The bananas were planted at New Life Farm in Tuen Mun, a social enterprise operated by the New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, a non-governmental organisation in Hong Kong which helps enhance public understanding and acceptance of the mentally ill. A total of 214 UPS employees and their families contributed more than 1,000 hours to harvest bananas in the course of two, one-day events.