Earlier this year, each of the Edelman Southwest offices participated in Edelman’s 60x60x60 “Summer of Service,” to support hunger and poverty alleviation in honor of our company’s 60th anniversary.
Below, please find a recap of how the Dallas, Austin and Houston offices gave back to their communities.
Dallas: Busting Hunger and Fighting Food Insecurity
By Rupa Patel, Account Supervisor, Dallas
For Edelman’s 60x60x60 “Summer of Service,” Edelman Dallas partnered with Hunger Busters, a local organization that provides much-needed meals to underprivileged children.
Few of us realized Texas was among the top four U.S. states with food insecure children. A staggering number of children are forced to go to bed without dinner, or as one Hunger Busters staffer told us, use substitutes like ketchup packets mixed with warm water as their meal.
We spent two afternoons at Hunger Busters and prepared 1,200 meals consisting of a sandwich, a piece of fruit, a fruit/pudding snack and a brownie. The three-person team at Hunger Busters explained they do not have the supplies to feed all the children in need, so they feed different grades daily, ensuring children have three meals at least two-to-three times a week.
Hunger Busters also introduced us to the “lunch box challenge” where volunteers fold as many meal boxes as they can in 60 seconds. After a few practice rounds, competitors lined up. The majority of us fumbled with our boxes, trying to close them without tearing edges or squishing food. Most of us only made it through six, but one assistant account executive, Mahsau Daee, sped through 12 boxes – setting a new Hunger Busters record!
Volunteering with Hunger Busters not only allowed us to help a wonderful cause, but it gave us valuable perspective on the prevalence of food insecurity in our own community. Hunger Busters is an incredibly inspiring organization and we are eager to continue to build on this relationship in any way we can.
Austin Gives Back: Volunteering at the Capital Area Food Bank
By Alex Bernardin, Senior Account Executive, Austin
As part of Edelman’s 60x60x60 “Summer of Service,” the Austin office was excited to give back to the community by spending an afternoon at the Capital Area Food Bank, the largest hunger-relief charity in Central Texas. The Food Bank provides food and grocery products, nutrition education and social services outreach to 300,000 clients each year through a network of 300 partner agencies.
On a hot and sunny Thursday afternoon in August, 13 members of the Edelman Austin office turned on their out-of-office notices and headed down the road to spend the afternoon giving back. When we arrived at Capital Area Food Bank, we were given a brief orientation session and were assigned different duties. We spent the afternoon cleaning, sorting and putting together goods that would then be distributed to various partner agencies, like homeless shelters, throughout Central Texas.
Our team split up to perform our assigned duties, working hand-in-hand with staff and regular volunteers who showed us the ropes. We sorted through all different kinds of food and beverages that had been donated from local grocery stores, and used teamwork to work quickly and efficiently – our three hours flew by!
At the end of our shift, we learned that we had sorted and organized more than 5,600 pounds of goods, which equated to 4,480 meals that would feed hungry Central Texans. We really enjoyed our time volunteering, and have even discussed setting up a monthly shift on weekends for our Austin employees who want to participate to continue giving back to the community.
Edelman Houston Takes Action Against Hunger in the Inner-City
By Janna Hughes, Account Supervisor, Houston
At the start of the summer, on a day with temperatures reaching the upper 90s, seven Edelman Houston employees put on food-service hair nets and gloves to assemble roughly 1,000 pounds of produce and non-perishable food items set to go to thousands of families in Houston’s inner-city neighborhoods as part of our “Summer of Service” efforts.
This endeavor was just one component of a year-round initiative to reach an alarming number of families in Houston’s inner city who lack accessible, affordable and healthy food. Each month, more than 12,000 families receive “bundles” of food from Target Hunger, one of Houston’s largest community-based organizations, which distributes over five million pounds of food annually through 12 food pantries, 11 senior day sites and 11 home delivery routes.
Recognizing the need to provide support close to home, Edelman Houston joined forces with Target Hunger earlier this year. Through the partnership, staff members have dedicated hours of their time to help plant gardens, assemble bags of food and distribute it to those in need. In addition, they have also provided professional counsel to assist with the development of Target Hunger client case studies, collateral and other communications materials requested by the organization.
Ongoing service to both local community and nationally-focused efforts continues to be a priority for Edelman Houston employees. In addition to supporting Target Hunger, a number of Edelman Houston employees have chosen a path of self-directed volunteering around the Houston area, including:
- Tutoring underprivileged teenagers
- Assisting adults with GED preparation
- Providing a place of refuge for individuals diagnosed with HIV
- Working with local animal shelters to find pets a loving home
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