Oftentimes, volunteering is assumed to be just a pastime of good people, but in reality it is so much more. It is a chance for you to slow down, give back to your community, and reflect on things for which you are thankful.
Recently, the WP Engine Austin office volunteered their time to work at The Capital Area Food Bank of Texas, which was responsible for distributing 24.5 million meals to the hungry and needy in the Greater Austin area in the last fiscal year.
Kelly Verdin, member of the Give Back Committee at WP Engine and organizer of the event, gave some insight into the motivation for volunteering at the food bank:
When our Give Back Committee formed, we met to discuss what WP Engine has to give and what causes are important to us. Two of the things we have to give are people and time, and one cause that is important to us is hunger. Volunteering at Capital Area Food Bank allowed us to use our people and time to assist the food bank in the fight against hunger in our community and to gain a better understanding of how food gets from the donation bin to the people who need it.”
WP Engine partnered with Austin-based tech incubator Capital Factory to supply as many hands as possible to help sort and pack the donations. “The Food Bank couldn’t do what we do without great volunteers from companies like WP Engine,” says Iris Graebner, volunteer resources manager for the Capital Area Food Bank. “Volunteer support is vital in helping us reach over 48,000 clients per week in the fight against hunger in Central Texas,” Graebner stated.
This was the inaugural event for the WP Engine Give Back Committee, which is dedicated to helping in the communities where our employees live and work. The Give Back Committee is responsible for targeting areas where community opportunities intersect with employee talents and passions, and is taking steps to make a difference in those areas.
This outing was not the only time that WP Engine will spend working with the food bank; there are already plans to volunteer again soon, this time with a mobile food pantry, passing out food to people in need. Hunger in the Greater Austin area isn’t an easy thing to fix, but with continued support of The Capital Area Food Bank and other such organizations, we can contribute to the solution one meal at a time.
Leave a Reply