Patty Bailey named a ‘Cabot Community Celebrity’ for work with Pass It Along

Patty Bailey of Sparta was recognized by Cabot Creamery Cooperative, the New England and upstate New York farm-family owned dairy cooperative, for her selfless volunteerism with Pass It Along.

Through the Pass It Along organization, Patty would bring her adopted Flat-coated Bear, a Retriever/Newfoundland mix, to visit with folks of all ages in need of a little extra joy in their lives. Her favorite part was seeing faces light up and helping seniors remember pet memories from their own pasts. Bear was so loved that he was voted “Volunteer of the Month”.

Patty grew up in northern New Jersey and eventually became a schoolteacher. She taught elementary school for 30 years before retiring in 2001. In retirement, she still had lots of energy and wanted to get involved and help her community. Along with her work for Pass It Along, she also volunteers at a local church soup kitchen and is a bell ringer for the Salvation Army.

Patty received an all-expense-paid Eastern Caribbean cruise recognizing her volunteer work.

“For the people in the nursing home, letting Bear bring a smile to their face was a way to help them get through the rough times they may have had,” she said.

Patty joined honorees from across the country on the Cabot Community Celebrity Cruise, along with Cabot staff and special honorees selected from program partners AARP Create the Good, National Cooperative Bank and Points of Light’s HandsOn Network on the six-day, seven-night excursion Nov. 14-21. The Community Celebrities were flown from their hometowns and boarded the Celebrity Cruise® ship Reflection in Miami, which made stops in Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten.

Cabot Creamery Cooperative and their partners are working to evolve the notion of celebrity as recognition of community service and volunteerism. The farm families who own Cabot often volunteer in their communities. They want to show their gratitude to those organizations and individuals who do the same in the communities where their award-winning dairy products are sold. The Cabot Community Celebrities, along with the Reward Volunteers program, and the travelling Cabot Gratitude Grille illustrate the many ways Cabot’s dairy farm families honor, amplify, and reward those who give time to do good. Even simple acts can lead to big change and Cabot is proud to work with our partners and sponsors to celebrate these good people for their good deeds and build networks of help that can last a lifetime. The cruise set sail for the fifth time and over the years Cabot has honored more than 160 deserving volunteers.