Shelton international company makes local impact

SHELTON — One international company made quite an impact in the region recently, thanks to the efforts of some charitable employees.

PerkinElmer, a global firm with an office at 710 Bridgeport Ave., held its annual Impact Day on Sept. 15, with more than 80 employees logging 358 hours of community service collecting food donations, working at an area food bank, cleaning Milford beaches and planting trees at Seaside Park in Bridgeport.

“We recognize that being a responsible corporate citizen means helping people and the planet,” said Michael DiVito, Sr., PerkinElmer’s

director of applied markets and the Shelton site leader. “Impact Day is an opportunity for us to do just that, particularly through service projects in our local community.”

DiVito said employees can choose to participate in either individual or siteorganized activities like beach clean-ups, tree planting and energy reduction initiatives. In all cases, taking a few hours out of the regular working day to do something helpful for others is incredibly rewarding, he said.

PerkinElmer is a global diagnostics and life sciences firm, and this event offers company employees give back and create positive change in their local communities, DiVito added.

This year, employees participated in a Bring-ACan Food Drive, which was held onsite at the Shelton location. Company staff organized a collection of food for the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry in Derby, which serves in-need residents of Derby, Shelton, Ansonia, Seymour and Oxford.

Led by the Shelton Facilities team, DiVito said the goal was to restock the nearly empty shelves of the food bank.

Nicholas Dellolio, the company’s facilities director who led the food drive, said employees and vendors collected more than 3,100 pounds of food.

“The most rewarding part was the look on the volunteers’ faces at St. Vincent De Paul’s food pantry

when we rolled up in multiple trucks to deliver the food, which made all the hard work worth it,” he said. “Knowing that we helped so many families in the Valley is such a rewarding feeling. I can’t wait until next year to collect and deliver even more food.”

PerkinElmer employees also volunteered at the Connecticut Food Bank in Wallingford, sorting and packing almost 9,000 pounds of meat and produce at the state regional food bank distribution center

Employees also spent

time planting, mulching and weeding outside the Boys & Girls Club of The Lower Naugatuck Valley in downtown Shelton and sprucing up the club’s main outdoor areas.

DiVito said the work would aid in the cleanliness and first impressions of the facility.

Volunteers also removed 27 large bags of trash and debris at Walnut and Silver Sands beaches in Milford and, along with “Groundwork Bridgeport, Inc.” helped plant 20 trees to increase the overall forest canopy at Seaside

Park in Bridgeport.

DiVito said the theme of this year’s Impact Day is stewardship and sustainability, which encourages all to take simple steps to protect and preserve the environment, reduce their carbon footprint and conserve natural resources.

“This theme helped guide the various activities our team was involved with,” he said. “Our team was especially energized and engaged in Impact Day this year.”

Contributed photo Employees at PerkinElmer’s Shelton facility, sorted and packed almost 9,000 pounds of meat and produce at the Connecticut regional food bank distribution center in Wallingford as part of the company’s Impact Day on Sept. 15.