As COVID-19 has presented unique challenges for our communities over the past few months, several Endeavor employees have looked for opportunities to serve and give back in meaningful ways.

While on leaves of absence from their normal jobs at Endeavor, employees Robbie Gomez and Ryan Ford have used their time off to volunteer and lend a helping hand to people — and animals — in need.

Ryan Ford, Stores Clerk, RDU

Apart from his role as a Stores Clerk at Endeavor’s Raleigh-Durham maintenance base, Ryan Ford also serves as a Lieutenant for the National Guard.

During his leave of absence, Ryan Ford volunteered for over a month with the National Guard to organize meals at the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina.

Ford and his fellow team members organized food donations from the Food Bank and created over 200,000 senior meal boxes and disaster relief boxes for thousands of families in need. They consolidated food donations into individual packages and loaded them onto trucks to be delivered around eastern central North Carolina.

“They were thankful we were there to help. It felt really good to help people,” Ford said. “It was nice to have an opportunity to help those in need during this time.”

Ford’s unit was also featured on a local news station. Click here to watch the story!

Robbie Gomez, First Officer, NYC

Robbie Gomez, an Endeavor First Officer based in NYC, temporarily turned in his pilot hat for a scuba diving suit.

When Gomez isn’t flying CRJ-900s, he is usually helping out at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a Rescue and Rehabilitation Center for marine animals, in Florida. Gomez is on the dive team at the aquarium and cleans the exhibits, assists with animal husbandry, and performs in dive presentations.

Gomez spent even more time in the water during his time off, despite the aquarium being closed to the public. He still managed to assist with cleaning the exhibits and checking in on the animals.

“I wanted to find a way to help the community while doing something I love,” Gomez said. “I was fortunate to be able to go in and continue to care for our animals and keep the facility going.”