Shell volunteers give Martinez Museum fresh coat of paint

MARTINEZ, Calif. – Each year, employees at Shell Martinez Refinery are allotted 16 hours away from the refinery to participate in local volunteer projects. This year, workers at the light oil processing unit at the refinery are working to give the Martinez Museum a facelift with a brand new coat of paint.

“We have about 115 people in my department, and so we have about 1,840 hours worth of community service projects to work with this year,” said Sean Johnson, production unit manager for the light oil processing unit.

Johnson said Shell Martinez’s community liaison and volunteer coordinator, Cathy Ivers, heard the museum needed painting, and Johnson, a 26-year employee at the refinery, thought it’d be a perfect match for his team. The group has been working on the interior of the museum for the past several weeks, and is nearly finished.

“Part of the refinery is being shut down for maintenance, so all the people on my team are involved in that and it’s our first work priority for the months of May and June, but after that, we’ll be back to finish up,” Johnson said, adding that once the interior is finished, his crew will return to work on the outside of the old Borland Home that now houses the museum.

Johnson said museum staff and company chose the paint colors and Shell purchased all the paint and supplies.

“We feel pretty good about it. We feel really lucky to work around our neighbors,” Johnson said. “We’re proud of how we operate the refinery and how safe we are, and how environmentally responsible, so for us to have a chance to give back … we’re always looking for that.”

Johnson said his unit, which is the section of the refinery nearest Pacheco Boulevard, is always on the lookout for meaningful projects to work on. Last year, they put in a garden for Loaves & Fishes, an organization that feeds the hungry.

“These projects are a good fit to what our skill sets are and what the city needs,” Johnson said. “We’re glad to be able to volunteer.”