Kindness and Well-Being 

Bring a non-food item for St. Vincent's Food Pantry to the EAP Meet and Greet on Feb. 27. Shown here, last year's organizing committee with boxes of donated items.

ALBANY, N.Y. (Feb. 22, 2018) – Do you know what the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) does for you?

Come to the EAP Meet and Greet on Tuesday, Feb. 27, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Campus Center West Multi-Purpose Room and find out.

“The event is an opportunity for faculty, staff and GSEU members to come together to learn more about their EAP benefit, to discover community and campus resources to enhance their well-being and to show some kindness by donating personal care items to support St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry,” said EAP coordinator Brenda Seckerson, who encouraged employees to introduce themselves to her and to EAP committee members at the event.

EAP’s mission is to find ways to support a healthy, productive workforce. More than 1,200 people attended EAP-sponsored and other outreach events in 2016-2017, and there were more than 400 initial and follow up contacts for confidential services.

Employees seek out EAP for confidential assistance with workplace issues, to obtain referrals to therapists, to find resources for their children, teens or elders, and to get referrals for legal or financial difficulties, or for addiction treatment.

“No stressor is too big or too small for EAP to supply information, resources and referrals,” Seckerson said.

In addition, EAP offers lunchtime wellness programs and professional development workshops.

This year’s Meet and Greet will have more invited providers and vendors in attendance than ever before. Seckerson plans to hold additional events on the Downtown and Health Sciences campuses later in 2018.

“To keep with the kindness theme, EAP will have a special table where employees can pick up greeting cards to send to someone on campus to express gratitude for a showing of kindness,” she said.

“Employees will also receive a ‘kindness’ or ‘gratitude’ stone to include with their kindness card. We want to keep the kindness energy rippling out past the Meet and Greet event.”

Resource providers that will be present include:

• AHP Homeownership Center
• Albany Guardian Society (elder care)
• Albany Community Action Partnership (Head Start Programs)
• American Foundation of Suicide Prevention
• Campus Recreation
• Community Hospice
• Office of Children and Family Services Division of Child Care Services
• National Alliance of Mental Illness
• St. Peter’s Health Partners Cancer Care Center (Smoking Cessation)
• TIAA
• UAlbany Sustainability
• United University Professions
• United Way/Ca$h Program (free resources to do your taxes)
• VALIC
• VOYA

For those who wish to donate an item to St. Vincent’s Food Pantry, the following items are requested:

• Baby wipes
• Laundry detergent
• Feminine hygiene items
• Disposable razors
• Shaving cream
• Deoderant
• Toothpaste and toothbrushes
• Toilet paper, napkins, paper towels, tissues

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