Whether he’s supporting the Bay Area’s energy needs as an operator at Chevron Richmond, organizing colleagues to hand out food at a local distribution, or creating artwork that helps keep his coworkers safe and engaged, Jesse Palmer’s sleeves are always rolled up.
Palmer’s day job as a refinery operator is demanding, but he takes equal pride in the time he spends volunteering in Richmond. Standing outside the Multicultural Institute, where he had just coordinated a food distribution, he reflected, “I’m probably at about 85 volunteer hours at this point.”
For Palmer, volunteering isn’t occasional, it’s routine. In nearly four years with Chevron, he’s stepped up to support nonprofits across Richmond, from food distributions to beautification projects. For Chevron’s Fall Volunteer Campaign, a two-week effort that sends hundreds of employees into the community, Palmer organized a group of colleagues across refinery departments to pack and distribute groceries for local families.
During the annual volunteer campaign, Palmer was among 231 employees who gave nearly 670 hours to 39 projects at nine organizations serving local residents. They painted, made repairs, distributed food and provided animal care at organizations like the Richmond Police Activities League (RPAL), Bay Area Rescue Mission, the Milo Foundation and many others.
“Of course, the main goal is to help out the community,” Palmer says, “But the volunteer campaign is also a good chance to meet different people from the city and the refinery, such as engineering, safety, maintenance and operations.”
Creative support
Palmer’s consistency at local events is becoming familiar to community groups in Richmond. As are his artistic contributions. A lifelong artist, Palmer designs logos, flyers, and safety graphics for various organizations.
He’s done pieces for about eight or nine different departments within Chevron Richmond, with designs that mix industrial feel with visual creativity, often infusing strong colors or punchy symbols to make safety campaigns, turnaround projects, and signage stand out.
“I just love drawing,” Palmer said. The chance to turn his art into something that colleagues see and respond to is a win-win to him.
The benefits of showing up
Juggling all that with demanding work isn’t easy. Palmer works rotating shifts, days and nights, serving as an operator in one of the Bay Area’s largest and most productive energy facilities. He’s also recently completed online classes in Business Management, using Chevron’s tuition reimbursement program. He graduated cum laude.
The workload is heavy, but so are the stakes he sees in showing up: for community, for colleagues, and for himself. Palmer encourages his colleagues to make volunteering a usual practice. Not just because people and organizations need the support, but also for its personal benefits.
“It’s a great way to break up your day-to-day life,” he said. “It’s a chance to meet people across the company, and most importantly, to help the community. Once you experience it, you’ll want to come back.”
