Del Papa Distributing Company is known as a community leader. The company is giving of its time and money to a variety of community organizations and civic partners. Giving and caring for others has become a part of the organization’s identity. This spirit is further encapsulated in the community service of the company’s employees.
The Lawrence J. Del Papa Community Leader Award was created to identify and recognize a Company employee who is a selfless and dedicated volunteer in their community.
The award winner is nominated by peers at work. The recipient of this annual award is selected on a competitive basis with the primary criteria emphasizing those individuals who give freely and unselfishly of their time and talents towards the betterment of their local community. A selection committee consisting of senior Del Papa Distributing leaders determines the award recipient. Del Papa Distributing makes a donation on behalf of the award winner to a charitable organization designated by the winning recipient.
The Community Leader Award honors Lawrence J. Del Papa who at the age of eleven began working in the family business that is today’s Del Papa Distributing. He followed the family tradition of giving back to his church and the community both financially and through his own service. Lawrence served in numerous civic organizations over the years as both a member and an officer. He was once quoted as saying “There’s more to the business than selling beer. Being a good and conscientious corporate citizen is high on our list of priorities as an organization.”
This 2019 LJD Community Leader was awarded to Angela, the Financial Reporting Coordinator at Del Papa Distributing. A wizard with numbers, she is responsible to reconcile and connect employee spending and earnings each month. Her face showed her surprise, as she had no idea she had been nominated for this award. But over her 7 years with Del Papa Distributing, her co-workers began to recognize how Angela spent her time outside of the office.
For the past 7 years, Angela has committed both her personal time and resources to help feed and clothe the homeless in the Houston area. Angela, working together with a small group of like-minded individuals on the first Friday night of every month, brings the Gospel and a hot meal to the homeless community they serve. This employee and her friends provide the financial resources needed to deliver and serve a hot meal consisting of fried chicken and sides. This group has become a familiar face to the homeless community and the consistency of their efforts has earned them a nickname: “The Chicken Ladies.”
Angela’s group also pulls funds together to supply gloves, scarves, blankets and hats to distribute to keep folks warm during the winter. Rain or shine no matter the temperature outside not being there the first Friday night of the month is not an option for this employee. As an example, recently this employee at the risk of being late to catch a flight made sure food was picked up and delivered before proceeding to the airport to catch her flight. A role model for all of us to give of ourselves and help those less fortunate than ourselves.
She says her involvement, “has taught me to be more aware of what is going on in my community. Everyone has different situations that others don’t understand.” Working at Del Papa Distributing, Angela knows it is not just her that is working in the community. “Everyone here strives to work in the community. It makes me want to do even more!”
