For the third year in a row, PBS&J Orlando employees, family, and friends united with others in the community to go “gleaning” as part of the Society of St. Andrew’s 15th Annual Orlando Citrus Harvest for the Hungry. (Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers’ fields after they have been commercially harvested, or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest.) The gleaning has a dual benefit—feeding the hungry while reclaiming fruit that would have otherwise ended up rotting on the trees or in landfills.

This year, 900 enthusiastic volunteers picked approximately 71 tons of fresh fruit on Saturday, January 23, which was then distributed to homeless shelters and food banks across central Florida. In fact, because so much fruit was gathered this year by nearly three times the usual number of volunteers, an additional truckload of citrus was also sent out-of-state to a food bank in dire need.

PBS&J’s Dallas employees have proven that they’re always willing to reach out to those in need. Over the holidays, the office sponsored two local non-profit organizations—the Humane Society of North Texas and the Genesis Women’s Shelter. Each organization submitted a wish list, which was hung on the office tree, containing items necessary for their outreach efforts. Nancy Hunziker-Klaes and Marina Turati chaired the effort.

For the Genesis Women’s Shelter, employees gathered pajamas and socks for women and children, as well as pharmacy gift cards to help mothers make medicine purchases. The gifts will help Genesis continue to meet the needs of more than 700 women and children who seek their services each year.

For the Humane Society, employees collected pet items for the shelter, such as dog and cat food, pet sweaters, feeding bowls, doggie biscuits, GPS devices, water bottles, and first aid supplies. Our Dallas GIS experts also created Dallas-Ft. Worth aerial wall maps to post in the Humane Society’s rescue center to assist with their operations.

The Florida Section of the American Water Works Association (FS-AWWA) hosted its 7th annual Model Water Tower Competition (MWTC) for local middle and high school students on Saturday, November 14, in Bradenton, Florida. And several employees from PBS&J's Sarasota office were on hand to lend their support.

The MWTC is designed to introduce students to the importance of reliable drinking water distribution systems and to challenge their scientific knowledge and creativity with an exciting competition. According to FS-AWWA, current middle and high-school students will be the next generation of scientists, builders, engineers, and managers who design, construct, and manage this critical infrastructure.

Many contestants developed their water tower models with the assistance of their science or technology teachers. Models were judged based on four criteria, similar to those used to evaluate real-life engineering projects: hydraulics, structural efficiency, cost, and aesthetic merit.

A number of employees from PBS&J’s Sarasota office lent their support to the effort, from helping organize the event to judging the entries on the day of competition.