On November 27, God’s Love welcomed seventy employees from BNY Mellon for a day of service and camaraderie to kick off BNY Mellon’s Community Week, where together they will clock over 3,000 hours of service. Groups worked in the kitchen and in meal packaging, then convened in our fifth-floor event space for lunch and a “Fireside Chat,” moderated by Senthil Kumar, BNY Mellon’s Chief Risk Officer. Panelists included Blondel Pinnock, President & CEO of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, and Stephen Covello, Chief Philanthropy Officer at God’s Love We Deliver.

Tim Dinneen, Senior Vice President, Global Impact of BNY Mellon introduced the panelists. Reflecting on the upcoming day of giving, he said “We must take every opportunity to pay it forward, not only for our own sake but for that of a flourishing society that can meet the needs of all its members.”

Both Blondel and Stephen came from the world of finance. Blondell is also an attorney. “I came to God’s Love fifteen years ago because I wanted to make an impact,” Stephen said. “I quit my job, came to God’s Love as a volunteer, and was hired nine months later.”

Restoration was founded in 1967 by Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Senator Jacob K. Javits. Blondell told the BNY Mellon team that since that time, Restoration has invested over $750 million into Brooklyn, catalyzing enormous economic, cultural, and educational improvements in Central Brooklyn. She is the first woman to head the organization. “Our goal has been to level the playing field,” she said, “and we continue to do this.”

Stephen spoke about how, in the case of God’s Love, one person started delivering meals to a friend dying of AIDS and how this has continued over the past 38 years since the agency was founded. “We consider ourselves a nutrition organization and not so much a hunger organization,” he said. “Our goal is to bring our clients back to health.”

A volunteer from BNY Mellon asked the panel, “What would you say to your younger self?”

“Don’t second-guess yourself or the steps you have taken,” Blondel said.

Senthil expressed how proud he was to see so many BNY Mellon employees around the world giving back during the week’s events. “By serving our communities together, we strengthen our culture of teamwork and belonging and create meaningful change for those who need it most.”

God’s Love would like to extend our gratitude to BNY Mellon for their spirit of volunteerism and generous support of our organization. We look forward to continuing our robust partnership.