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

September 8, 2021

This morning we celebrated the accomplishments of Ashley, Ryan and Everett – our most recent L.O.G.I.C. (Logistics, Operations, General Warehousing and Inventory Control) graduates! Despite the small class size, the students excelled in all areas of the training program and received a lot of one-on-one work with Warehouse Instructor Joe Cunha.

“I couldn’t be prouder,” he said. “I don’t care if there are three people or 300 people in the class. Seeing their hard work pay off, that’s what I am most impressed by with these students. They all have the drive and willingness to learn and do what they have to do to succeed.”

Over the past 11 weeks, the class learned how to safely maneuver and operate warehouse equipment and had a chance to earn their OSHA-10 and forklift certifications. The students’ training was well-rounded with the addition of life skills like communication, resume writing, interviewing, nutrition and more. They even went on a field trip to the Dupont warehouse across the street from the Food Bank, and teams from DuPont spent time hosting career Q&A sessions via Zoom with the class.

Josh Holloway, Site Logistics Leader from DuPont provided keynote remarks for the graduation ceremony.

“The backlog in the global supply chain has caused a boom in warehousing… Warehouses are full and they need workers,” he explained to graduates. “While the pandemic has constrained some things, it is opening a huge opportunity in the warehousing/logistics field. There’s never been a better time for an opportunity.”

Thanks to the support of the Food Bank of Delaware team, Ashley, Everett and Ryan all received a two-week paid work experience and job placement services as part of their training program.

Ashley will start as the overnight manager at BJs Wholesale Club later this month.

“This certification definitely helped me a lot,” she explained. ‘”They stood by me every step of the way.”

“It has been a pleasure to watch this class grow,” said Food Bank of Delaware President and CEO Cathy Kanefsky. “COVID turned the world upside down, but it also gave us a chance to say, ‘What am I going to do differently. What do I want to do with my life that I may not have thought about six months or one year ago…’ I know you are going to do great work. We are going to miss you around here.”

Congratulations to our graduates:

• Ashley Mathis
• Ryan Truitt
• Everett Waters

The training program would not be possible without the support of generous sponsors.

Thank you to:

• Barclays
• Capital One
• Comenity
• Delaware Department of Labor
• Discover
• Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
• DuPont
• Highmark Delaware
• TD Bank
• Wells Fargo

To learn more about the L.O.G.I.C. program at the Food Bank of Delaware, please click here.