For more than two decades, Patricia Brown has quietly devoted her spare time to helping others in the community.

She has been a friendly and familiar face for 22 years at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, where she has worked with the Pink Ladies.

And for the past couple of years, Ms Brown has been a volunteer at the Salvation Army Soup Ministry making sandwiches, loading the trucks and delivering food to the homeless of Hamilton.

Her kind-hearted efforts were recognised yesterday as she was presented with a CableVision Community Award in front of her family, friends and Government ministers Jeanne Atherden and Patricia Gordon-Pamplin.

A visibly emotional Ms Brown thanked Bermuda CableVision, which also happens to be her employer, for the award and a $1,000 cheque that she has chosen to pass on to the Salvation Army.

“I was brought up by parents that taught me it was better to give than to receive,” she said.

“I don’t expect anything in return. If I can make someone happy or bring a smile to someone’s face for them to say thank-you, that is all the recognition I need.

“Because I have a job, a house and transportation, I choose to give back to those who don’t have these things.

“You can’t help everybody, but everybody can help somebody.” Ms Brown began her community work by caring for her great uncle, who died at the age of 90.

After his death, she joined the Hospitals Auxiliary of Bermuda in 1993 as a Pink Lady and volunteers every other Saturday for three hours.

Ms Gordon-Pamplin hailed Ms Brown as a true community hero, saying: “I am tremendously proud to know we have Bermudians that are looking after Bermudians.

“Mrs Brown is a good example of this and she serves as an example to others that we can help in big ways and little ways.”

Ms Atherden added: “Mrs Brown’s more than 20 years’ commitment to the Hospitals Auxiliary of Bermuda shows how passionate she is about health and seniors. I would like to thank her for volunteering countless hours over the years to this special charity.”

Terry Roberson, the CableVision chief executive, praised Ms Brown for her selfless and tireless work in the community.

“Patricia has been a CableVision employee for 11 years and has quietly volunteered without any of us knowing about it.

“When we learnt about her community service, we wanted to recognise Patricia as our next recipient.”