250 UBS interns create care packages for needy youth at Elmont's UBS Arena

Internships usually entail coffee runs, copy making and other clerical tasks, but the summer interns at UBS are receiving a hands-on and meaningful experience of giving back to the community they work in.

Roughly 250 interns took part in the global firm’s longstanding Intern Day of Service tradition on June 28 at UBS Arena in Elmont, creating snack and hygiene kits to donate to two nonprofits — Green Bronx Machine and Jersey Cares.

As a result, the junior colleagues got a chance to partake in philanthropy, network with one another and learn about UBS’s culture of service, officials said.

“It’s not just important to us as employees, but it’s important to our clients as well,” said Armand Biroonak, head of employee engagement, community impact for UBS Americas. “They’re really focused and passionate about supporting their communities and making an impact.”

At the event, interns worked with representatives from Jersey Cares, one of UBS’s many volunteer partners in the tristate area, to assemble hundreds of the kits filled with snacks and hygiene items, such as menstrual products, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo and other essentials.

Each bag was personally decorated by the interns and packaged with a heartfelt card.

“Service is something that I’ve always been passionate about,” Abha Rathi, a UBS summer intern, said. “Supporting a new local community is really fun and wonderful.”

Green Bronx Machine is a grassroots and community-drive non-profit that builds healthy, equitable and resilient communities through inspired education and local food systems. The group had served as an after-school program for high school students, but has now evolved into a kindergarten through 12th grade model.

The program integrates core education curriculum with project-based STEAM learning experiences, health, wellness, cooking, culinary and garden programs, as well as workforce development connected to the organization’s urban farms.

Founder Stephen Ritz works with South Bronx students to grow their own vegetables for them to eat. He and the Green Bronx Machine student community have grown more than 165,000 pound of vegetables in the Bronx, while improving academic performance in schools.

Many of Ritz’s students come from underserved communities, so the support from UBS and its interns is appreciated, he said. The care packages and letters inspire his students to write back, which helps maintain its youth literacy campaign.

“Most of my students have never received a personal piece of mail in their lives,” Ritz said. “For these young people to get healthy food, hygiene supplies, things many other young people take for granted — it is game changing for them.”

Jersey Cares is a non-profit organization partnered with UBS through its Corporate Service program, creating a variety of volunteer opportunities for UBS employees, such as giving back to the Green Bronx Machine.

Evan Lewis, director of corporate and foundation relations at Jersey Cares, said the purpose of its partnership with UBS is to aid in instilling community engagement in both interns and full-time employees, while making it a fun experience.

“Volunteering at a young age, whether it’s 20-something or even younger, it’s important because we like to create a culture of volunteerism,” Lewis said. “If you volunteer and have an enjoyable experience, you’re more likely to continue serving your community and volunteering throughout the rest of your life.”