Corporate volunteerism at the HFB
Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Corporate partners make the most of their volunteer experience

As the economy grows stronger, more and more companies are looking for ways to give back to the community.  The Houston Food Bank offers several ways for businesses and their employees to get involved in our mission to lead the fight against hunger, including unique volunteer opportunities.  

Feed-n-Lead is a team-building program that not only strengthens organizations, but also makes a difference in the community.  After hearing about the issues of hunger and poverty, and about what the Houston Food Bank does to fight hunger, groups are divided into teams and given a project to complete.  Projects can include packing Senior Boxes and putting together the sacks for our Backpack Buddy program, among others.  These activities are designed to improve communication, leadership, problem-solving and teamwork.  

Our Business to Business program offers businesses a new way to entertain and meet with clients.  Instead of meeting on the golf course or for lunch, invite your clients to join you for a volunteer shift.   You’ll have the opportunity to build a relationship while sorting product, packing sacks for our Backpack Buddy program, or any of our other volunteer opportunities. 

Many companies offer matching gift programs, allowing employees to double their charitable donation.  If an employee donates $50, the company also donates $50, for a total of $100.  Over one hundred companies include the Houston Food Bank in their matching gift programs.  Some of these businesses also match employees’ volunteer hours with a monetary donation.  Employees simply report the number of hours they complete to their company, which then calculates a monetary donation for the Food Bank. 

Several companies and organizations also choose to host their meetings and events in the Houston Food Bank’s Conference Center because it gives them the opportunity to give back to the community and get some work done, all in the same place.  An average of 43 corporate groups volunteer at the Food Bank each month.  These groups vary in size from five to ten people up to groups of over a hundred people. Some of our larger groups even host special company-wide volunteer events.

Our volunteers are one of the most valuable resources the Food Bank has.  We need 1,000 volunteers each week to operate at full production.  Volunteers complete a variety of tasks, all of which are an integral part of helping us feed over 137,000 people every week. 

To find out more about how your company can join the fight against hunger, contact Tony Holmes, Corporate Volunteer Coordinator, at (713) 547-8663.  To sign up for a volunteer shift, visit our website, or contact our Volunteer Engagement staff at (713) 547-8604.