September is Hunger Action Month (HAM) when Feeding America, a Perficient community partner, organizes a campaign to spread awareness about food insecurity.
To support these efforts, Perficient Giving ERG organized a friendly HAM competition to encourage colleagues worldwide to donate non-perishable food items to their local food banks. Offices that collect the most donations and have the biggest impact qualify for special recognition as HAM champions!
LEARN MORE: Read Perficient’s 2022 Community Impact Report
We previously shared how our colleagues in India supported HAM. Today, let’s look at how our US offices contributed to the HAM competition and what they did to make an impact.
Allentown, PA
The Allentown office consisting of Commerce and Adobe colleagues had an amazing office picnic to celebrate successful projects in 2023. As part of this gathering, the team also supported HAM by encouraging colleagues to bring non-perishable food items to the picnic for donation. It was a huge success, and the team is grateful for all who donated and participated in this fun event.
Atlanta, GA
Our Atlanta colleagues come from multiple business units but joined as one to make an impact on the community for HAM. Throughout September, they hosted an in-office food drive, volunteered as a group, and hosted a HAM closeout party with a special incentive to bring in donations. The team started by cooking and serving meals at Food4Lives, a family-founded organization that feeds, educates, and works to empower the homeless of Atlanta.
In addition to holding a food drive at the office, the team hosted a special event at the end of HAM to celebrate their collective efforts. Colleagues who donated at least five pounds of food had the chance to pie a director of their choice in the face! There was joy and laughter, but the real treat was raising hundreds of dollars for Feeding American and donating 250 pounds of food to Forever Fed, which supports food pantries, kitchens, and childcare centers throughout the metro Atlanta area.
Columbus, OH
The Ohio team had many participants contribute to this year’s HAM, and they donated food to Westerville Area Resource Ministry (WARM), which not only brings food to the table of those who are in need but also delivers hope and faith to families who need help. The Ohio team delivered 300 pounds of food and household items to ensure WARM can continue its activities and support the community.
Dallas, TX
The Dallas Charitable Giving Committee invited all Dallas-based colleagues to participate in HAM in two ways. In addition to donating non-perishable food items, Dallas colleagues volunteered with Tango Charities/Feed the City where they helped make 3,628 meals with Feed the City at the Star in Frisco. 800,000 people face food insecurity in North Texas alone, so the Dallas team certainly made an impact where support is needed.
Detroit, MI
The Michigan office witnessed overwhelming support for HAM this year. It was also a teambuilding event that brought colleagues together and encouraged them to donate and make an impact. The team donated food to the Clarenceville Food Bank in Livonia which has been a recipient of the team’s past food drives and has always appreciated their donations. Food drives have always been part of Michigan’s efforts to drive change in the community and HAM was another opportunity to contribute even more.
Houston, TX
To kick off HAM and get the team excited, the Houston office spent a Friday afternoon at the Houston Food Bank. After hours of sorting frozen food that was donated by multiple restaurants and businesses, the team proudly contributed food for 1,200 meals for surrounding communities in need. To keep the giving spirit going, the team also hosted a pancake breakfast in the office where their Managing Director, John Latham, flipped pancakes. Houston colleagues were encouraged to come to the office, meet some new faces, and bring in food donations for HAM. Some of the colleagues brought in additional breakfast items to contribute to the feast. By the time the last pancake was flipped – their donation box was overflowing!
Lafayette, LA
Lafayette colleagues demonstrated their commitment to social responsibility and fighting food insecurity by supporting St. Joseph Diner, an organization that offers free, nutritious meals to those facing homelessness and hunger. In one volunteer event, the team served over 200 hot meals, including green bean casserole and tomato parmesan, and actively assisted in various aspects of the diner’s operations. They played a significant role by helping with setup before lunch service and ensuring cleanliness once meal distribution ended.
Puerto Rico
The Puerto Rico team supported the Food Bank in Puerto Rico, an affiliate with Feeding America providing food to people with few or no economic resources. The team decided to collect food, visit, and volunteer at the food bank as part of their HAM activities. Their participation consisted of organizing and classifying food and supplies at the Food Bank. In addition to volunteering, the team of four Puerto Rico colleagues collected and donated an impressive 347 pounds of food.
St. Louis, MO
The St. Louis office rallied together to fight hunger in September. Because of the generous donations of the office, the St. Louis team was able to donate 541 pounds of food to support the St. Louis Area Food Bank.
The office liaison also saw firsthand the careful consideration people had when picking out food to bring in. There was a variety of high-protein meals, baby food, and children’s snacks. One colleague even used all their grocery store loyalty points to purchase donation items. The St. Louis team closed out HAM by hosting a happy hour inviting colleagues to attend, learn more about the Giving ERG and HAM, enjoy ham sandwiches, and celebrate the differences they made in their local community.
Perficient Colleagues Fight Hunger on a Global Scale
Individually and collectively, Perficient and our colleagues are committed to making a difference in our communities worldwide.
This is the second blog in our series celebrating our efforts to fight food insecurity during HAM. Stay tuned for the final blog where we will announce our collective impact on the winners of our HAM competition. Until then, take a look at the slideshow below of our US colleagues making a difference during HAM.
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