Douglas Woggon, a DTE Energy retiree, is dedicated to serving others in his community. In 2020 he dedicated 511 hours to the Gibraltar Food Pantry, an outreach program of the First Congregational Church of Gibraltar, where he serves on the Board of the organization and is active with their team. These impressive hours earned him DTE Energy’s Alumni Energy Impact Award.
“2020 was a challenging year at the Gibraltar Food Pantry,” he said. “Typically, we serve our clients through a client choice model in which our clients came into the pantry (which was set up like a small grocery store) and selected items for their household. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic required us to radically change our distribution model to ensure the health and safety of both our volunteers and clients.”
Douglas assisted in returning over 180,000 bottles and cans received through an on-going bottle/can collection fundraiser which thankfully, dramatically increased due to the mandated closures during the pandemic. As things changed during the pandemic Douglas made it clear that his involvement in the pantry is born from his faith and the commandment to “Love one another” through acts of service.
“Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community and to help those in need. It also helps to maintain social connections within your community and provides an outlet for physical activity. It just feels good to help others too,” he explained.