Community

“Second Chance” Team from Vericool to Support Over 150 Richmond Single-Parent Families Affected by Incarceration, Drugs or Abuse for Christmas

Published

5 years ago

December 15, 2018

Environment Friendly Start-up Launched by Richmond Native to Host First Annual Vericool Holiday Event, Providing Meals and Gifts

The holidays can prove challenging to any family. But for those single-parent families affected by incarceration, drug abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse, meeting the social and financial expectations set by this time of year can be very stressful, if not nearly impossible.
Growing up in a household impacted by drugs, physical and sexual abuse, Darrell Jobe, the founder and CEO of Vericool knows this struggle firsthand. As part of his personal commitment to his home community of Richmond, his company, which includes many formerly incarcerated individuals, is hosting its first annual Vericool Christmas event there.

Darrell Jobe, Vericool President and CEO (Photo: Business Wire) Multimedia Gallery URL.

The Vericool Christmas will support more than 150 local, single-parent families overcoming the challenges of incarceration, drugs, physical/sexual abuse or just hard times, with a complete family Christmas dinner with all the trimmings and the choice of a ham or turkey, and last, but not least, a present valued up to $25 per child from their Christmas list.
“Holidays don’t bring joy for all families; in fact they bring stress to families and children already dealing with some of the worst situations imaginable,” said Jobe, the inventor of the first fully recyclable and compostable coolers – Vericoolers® who was raised with his sisters by a single mother. “My family struggled when I was young – Back-to-School and Christmas were those two times of the year I dreaded knowing we had very little and my mother struggled to make do.
“The entire Vericool team is committed to creating good opportunities for each other at work and for members of our extended community,” said Jobe. “We are very excited to work with Antwon Cloird and Soulful Softball Sundays to provide dinners and gifts for the families.”
Livermore-based Vericool is partnering with Cloird and Soulful Softball Sunday, a local organization that works with the Richmond community. The families have been identified by the organization and will receive the complete dinners and presents at Independent Community Church, 605 S. 16th St, Richmond, Ca., 94804 on Dec. 23, 2018.
“It is heartening to see Richmond natives find success and continue to give back to their community” said Cloird, founder and director of Men and Women of Purpose. “We are pleased to partner with Vericool to put on this Christmas event, providing families and children with a Christmas meal and gifts, providing some much-needed holiday cheer.”
As a company, Vericool has worked to ease prison recidivism in the surrounding community by fostering a second-chance program to offer former inmates well-paid jobs, by leveraging networks that share a similar vision such as Defy Ventures, and by working with prisons to reach individuals prior to release.
As creators of sustainable Vericoolers®, Vericool also provides a second chance to the environment by preventing the landfill, ocean and waterway waste that comes with use of EPS (commonly referred to as Styrofoam®) coolers, which are difficult to recycle and take at least five centuries to decompose, according to experts.

OAKLAND POST

Posts by OAKLAND POST

Related Topics:community Darrell Jobe Vericool

Up Next

Raiders Johnathan Hankins and Swords to Plowshares Host Lunch for 100 Homeless Veterans in Oakland

Don't Miss

Visiting Raw Food Chef Makes Healthy Food Delicious

OAKLAND POST

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

5 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

1 week ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

City Government

Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Published

1 week ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

Special to The Post

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.

Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”

According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.

“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”

When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.

At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”

While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.

On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.

“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.

The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.