Riderwood Lions Club Lives the Mission With Help From Its Friends

Eight years ago, the Riderwood Lions Club began a service project to support Shepherd’s Table, the nonprofit organization in Silver Spring devoted to helping the homeless.

The Riderwood Lions Club was recognized for its community service during a volunteer appreciation luncheon held at the Erickson Living retirement community on Friday, February 13. In turn, the Club honored five employees from Riderwood who assist in a service project supporting Shepherd’s Table of Silver Spring. On the left is Reggie Dennis, Housekeeping Manager, receiving a plaque from Ken Kennedy, Project Coordinator for the Riderwood Lions Club.

That first year, residents of the Erickson Living retirement community collected 37shoe boxes filled with donated items for Shepherd’s Table.

In 2014, that number climbed to 552 full-size storage containers. On Feb. 13, resident members of the Riderwood Lions Club were honored for their efforts by the retirement community’s leadership during a volunteer appreciation luncheon.

“Whether it’s collecting school supplies, eye glasses or, in this case, clothes for Shepherd’s Table, the Riderwood Lions Club makes our community a special place to live and work,” stated Bo Lundh, Director of Operations at Riderwood. “We are proud of their service because everything they contribute is from the bottom of their hearts.”

In return, the Lions Club recognized five employees from the Housekeeping Department of Riderwood for their support of the Shepherd’s Table project: Housekeeping Manager Reggie Dennis and four associates, Rudolph Deonath, Elizabeth Espinal, Reina Umanzor and Noel Vasquez.

The five employees received Community Services Awards from Ken Kennedy, Project Coordinator for the Riderwood Lions Club.

“Over the past few years, these folks helped us collect, sort, store and deliver literally hundreds of clothing, shoes and toiletry donations for Shepherd’s Table,” noted Mr. Kennedy. “Our mission is ‘we serve,’ and in this case, we literally couldn’t successfully have served without their hard work and dedication to this project.”

The mission of Shepherd’s Table is to provide help to people who are homeless or in need by providing basic services, including meals, social services, medical support, clothing, and other assistance in an effective and compassionate manner. More information can be found at www.shepherdstable.org.

About Jeff Getek

Jeff Getek is the public affairs manager for Riderwood, the Erickson Living retirement community in Silver Spring. He authors the blog The Journey On on MyMCMedia.

View all posts by Jeff Getek