When we give together, we can maximize our impact. It doesn’t matter if you are giving your time or your money, when you join together with friends, family or co-workers, you can create a greater impact on the causes you care about.
Giving together also has the potential to strengthen personal relationships. This is one of the reasons that so many companies choose volunteering opportunities as a team building activity for employees. Whether this is a clean-up at a local park, or sorting donations for a food bank, volunteering together provides an opportunity to connect over a common interest: having an impact on a cause you care about.
We recently had a chat with a few employees from local Vancouver tech company, Thinkific. They recently took part in Plenty of Plates, a program designed to combat food insecurity in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The program has groups work together to run the Save on Meats diner for a night, by cooking a 3-course meal to those who rarely experience a sit-down restaurant meal.
We wanted to hear their thoughts on giving back to the local community through volunteering with their colleagues. This is what we learnt:
Amber – Office Manager and Executive Assistant
I had been looking for a way to get our company involved in more initiatives to give back to our community when this opportunity fell into my inbox one day. Taking part in the Plenty of Plates program was fun, exciting, humbling, eye-opening and a lot of hard work!
Our team of 15 people was split into front of house, and back of house teams. Each team spent about 1.5 hours prepping the restaurant and food for our guests. When about 70 people arrived for dinner at 7:30pm, it was all hands on deck to plate and serve the three-course meal we had made.
Afterwards, we all hustled and banded together to clean up and reset the restaurant for the next day. Finally, we all gathered together to enjoy a beverage and recount the evening’s highlights.
Pauly – Account Executive
I took part in Plenty of Plates because I’m very interested in social justice and humanitarian work, and am constantly trying to educate myself in these areas. I knew that it would be a great night, and a cool way to feel connected to my co workers!
Taking part was so heartwarming! There were laughs shared, and lots of stories told by the restaurant goers. I worked in the front of house, so was able to serve the food and interact with our guests. I don’t think I stopped smiling all night.
Anna – Software Developer
I always want to do more to help, and to give back. Plenty of Plates allowed us to do it in a very fun way! It was a humbling and grounding experience. It allowed my team to work together and bond outside of work as well as feel our positive impact right away. I was also able to connect with the people we served and learn more about their lives and struggles.
Big thanks to the Thinkific team for sharing their experience with us! If you want to give back to a cause that you care about, consider volunteering as a team building activity with your co-workers. It’s amazing what we can achieve when we work together!
Looking for more inspiration on how to give back in the workplace? Check out our top five office giving ideas!
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