Weed It and Reap

Dan Strong is “two thumbs up” type of guy—one green; one brown. 

He is a 39-year UPS veteran. For 27 of those years, he has been a driver—and an esteemed and honorable one at that. 

Dan is in the UPS Circle of Honor. A Circle of Honor driver is someone who has never had a driving accident or moving violation of any kind. In Dan’s case, that’s nearly three decades of safe driving. 

Imagine that for a moment—especially when your job is driving in all sorts of traffic and inclement weather for nine or ten hours a day, five days a week, for 27 years, and not experiencing one accident or hiccup of any kind. Astounding, really. This accomplishment alone gives us all a reason to celebrate Dan, but there’s so much more to this humble and hard-working guy. 

Dan is also the Health & Safety co-chair for the UPS Toledo South center. When it comes to safety, he bleeds UPS brown like no one else—thus, the brown thumb. He is also deeply rooted in his community through volunteerism. His latest volunteer project stems from his lifelong love of gardening—hence, the green thumb.

Genesis Village Retirement Center, located in Toledo, Ohio, is the latest recipient of Dan’s generosity. He has been developing a vegetable garden there for the residents—many of whom are retired veterans and bound to wheelchairs or have limited mobility. Dan’s mother-in-law also resides at Genesis Village.

Genesis Village, formerly a hotel, was redeveloped into a thriving senior retirement home. The property has been on Dan’s UPS delivery route for more than two decades.

Dan has become a celebrity at Genesis Village. He, alone, started the project from the ground up. He laid out the raised beds, mulched in walk paths, supervised planting, and continues to stop by daily on his way home to check on things.

“I’ve been gardening since I was a young boy,” said Dan. “I’m the entertainment at the retirement home. The older folks like to watch me work in the garden.”

Dan spends three-to-five hours each weekend feeding, weeding, watering, and further developing the area. He recently added a butterfly garden, sunflowers, and climbing flowering vines to attract pollinators. He will soon add a water soaker hose system once the garden is fully developed.

Producing the Produce—and Peas on Earth
    
The garden produces 18 tomato and pepper plants, broccoli, eggplant, cabbage, peas, beans, zucchini, and squash. Crops are used in the dining area; displayed in baskets for residents to take; or donated to a local food pantry.

“I purchased many of the garden items with a portion of my income tax refund that I set aside every year for charity work,” said Dan.
 
The project will span several growing seasons. There are additional raised beds to install, a strawberry patch to rebuild, and irrigation and drainage systems to install. Dan has a lot of work ahead of him, but he relishes the challenge. 

Once Upon a Thyme 

Dan initially got bitten by the volunteer bug nearly 40 years ago when he donated his time at the Toledo YMCA summer camp and after-school program while working part-time at UPS.

He and his wife continue to volunteer with children in the community and spread the seeds of knowledge about living safely, gardening, and volunteerism. 

With safety and accessibility in mind, Dan hopes to convince Genesis Village to install a boardwalk to allow wheelchair and mobility-challenged residents to access the garden.

“It’s a work-in-progress, but we’re making great strides in the garden,” said Dan. “We’ll just keep toiling away and working the soil.”

It’s no wonder this proud UPSer is a raking in the compliments everywhere he goes.