Patch Gives Back

In addition to our editorial coverage of local charities, and our section of the site that's devoted to volunteer opportunities, Patch employees also spend five days per year giving back in the communities they serve.

We call it Give5, and it's really at the heart of what we do. The concept of Patch.com was actually born after our founder went online to find local volunteer opportunities, but came up with minimal results. We also donate 5 percent of our ad inventory to local nonprofits.

On Tuesday, Patch editors from Middletown, Newport and Portsmouth gave back and volunteered their time on Aquidneck Island. I, your Newport editor, along with my colleagues, Middletown editor Angela Lemire and Portsmouth editor Sandy McGee, volunteered Tuesday at the Portsmouth Multi Purpose Senior Center. We helped move boxes for the senior center's thrift store from the first floor to the second floor and carried long tables up to the senior center's storage room.

It can be hard to break away from reporting the news, but each time we do this, I realize more and more just how important it is to get out there and interact with the community in a different capacity.

We have similar opportunities planned in Middletown and Newport in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for that. If you know of a volunteer opportunity in Newport, please share the information with everyone else by uploading it directly to our site here.