L.O.G.I.C. students celebrate graduation amid pandemic

July 8, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic did not stop ten students from successfully completing the Food Bank of Delaware’s Delaware Food Works L.O.G.I.C. (Logistics, Operations, General Warehousing and Inventory Control) program. The students’ accomplishments were celebrated this morning in a socially-distant outdoor graduation ceremony.

The 11-week training program prepares adults for careers in the warehousing/logistics industry. Students started the class in January and should have graduated on April 1. Class came to a screeching halt in mid-March when the first known case of COVID was diagnosed here in Delaware.

Thanks to remote learning and socially-distanced work experiences in the Food Bank warehouse, the students completed all of the requirements of the program.

State Senator Stephanie Hansen provided keynote remarks for the day.

“You deserve a lot of credit not only for completing this program, but for making the choice to begin this program in the first place and taking a leap of faith,” she said. “I am here to tell you that you made the right decision…. now you will be entering into the workforce as a valued member of our workforce and business community. We need you.”

Students trained in the warehouse of the Food Bank of Delaware in Newark and learned to use major equipment like end riders, lift trucks, order pickers and pallet jacks. They also had the opportunity to become OSHA-10 and forklift certified.

The students expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to attend the program.

“I have never finished a lot of stuff, but when I came here I was determined,” said graduate Rudolph Lumpkin. “In August I decided I wanted to change some stuff. I was determined to finish. I had a lot of challenges physically. I took a step of faith. Like I said, I never finished anything. I thank God for this. I thank my classmates. You are a blessing and an inspiration to me.”

The pandemic has made obtaining employment more difficult for some of the graduates. But students have landed employment at the Delaware Recyling Center, Eastern Metal Supply, Laborocity and ShopRite.

The graduates include: