As you gather with friends, family and colleagues this holiday season, please remember those in your community who are less fortunate. This can be an especially difficult time of year for them.
Giving back is not only a socially responsible thing to do, it also has many intrinsic benefits for you, your company and your employees.
- You feel better about yourself!
- Your company will benefit by demonstrating that it cares about the community, which helps attract customers and employees. And,
- Your employees will have the opportunity to bond (and feel better about themselves) when you encourage them to volunteer their time or their money to a team selected cause.
There are many local charitable organizations that rely on donations and the help of volunteers to continue to serve their respective constituents. Here are a few:
Second Harvest Food Bank needs help packing and sorting the food it collects and provides to people in need in the community. This makes a great team event. Your employees may also want to help with food distribution.
The Family Giving Tree offers several opportunities for group volunteering: Off-season product sorting; wish card sorting/collateral prep; and volunteering in the warehouse.
Cityteam needs frozen turkeys and canned nonperishable food items to help to make a difference in the lives of men, women, and children struggling with homelessness, hunger, and poverty. Donations can be dropped off 9am-4pm Tuesdays-Saturdays at Cityteam’s Community Services Program, 1297 North 13th St., San Jose.
You can find more opportunities for giving in this San Jose Mercury News article.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 29 is Giving Tuesday. Please consider giving to your favorite charity.
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill