If you've landed on this article, you understand the importance of giving back. You're looking for a way for your team to come together for a meaningful cause, and what better way to do that than with us here at Hackney Foodbank?
We tackle hunger in the borough by providing emergency food parcels for households in need and caseworker support to help visitors on to better situations; helping with benefits, grants for things like energy costs, food and furniture and referring on to an expert debt advisor.
Hackney Foodbank supports hundreds of people every week. We rely on donations and volunteers to meet the increasing demand, and that's where corporate volunteering comes in.
How Does Corporate Volunteering Work at the Foodbank?
There are three ways to participate in corporate volunteering at Hackney Foodbank:
Supermarket Sweep – The Supermarket Sweep Shopping Challenge is our most popular (and competitive!) option. Suitable for groups of between 8 and 80 people, teams start off at the food bank's warehouse in Homerton to learn about the charity before setting off to the supermarket, equipped with trollies and shopping lists. There are points for various challenges along the way and, after returning to the warehouse for a weigh-in, there's a fun trophy for the winning team. We tend to run these events from 10am till 1pm or 2pm-5pm.
Warehouse Volunteering – This gives companies the chance to help prepare emergency food parcels at our Homerton Warehouse. Teams can choose between a half-day or full-day shift. Half days (9am – 11.30am or 12.30pm – 3pm) take places Monday to Friday for groups of up to five people at a time. Full days (9.30am -3pm) take place on occasional Wednesdays and Thursdays for groups of up to 10 people.
Bespoke Volunteering – We also offer bespoke corporate volunteering events, such as presentations about our work and hamper packing for festive seasons.
Why corporate volunteering is important
Put simply, giving back boosts your mood and improves staff morale! Workplace volunteering improves mental health, lowers anxiety and creates stronger team cohesion. Volunteering builds soft skills such as communication and adaptability. Research shows that group volunteer projects build deeper team connections than standard corporate events.
At Hackney Foodbank, we've structured our volunteering activities so they're meaningful and helpful and focused on teambuilding. The impact your team will have will be tangible!
Offering staff volunteering opportunities can also help with recruitment. Many candidates seek out organisations whose ethical, social and environmental values align with their own. Employers with strong Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives signal a forward-thinking workplace, rather than one focused solely on profit.
And for businesses, signing up to corporate volunteering events helps them fulfil their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) targets and CSR Goals.
By partnering with Hackney Foodbank, you'll help people experiencing hardship access emergency food and essential household items as well as caseworker support that could change their lives for good.
Donations
All our corporate volunteering opportunities require a donation – it's how we manage to tackle hunger in the community. If you'd like to find out more or sign your team up for an activity, please contact Jenna Fansa (Head of Communications and Fundraising) at jenna@hackneyfoodbank.org. We look forward to meeting you!