In the timeless classic “A Christmas Carol,” Ebenezer Scrooge’s character arc is a profound journey from miserliness to generosity. Scrooge’s transformation, culminating in the joy he discovers in giving back, is more than just a festive story; it reflects a deep-seated truth about human nature.
In a Minted survey, 68 percent of Americans reported they were more excited to give gifts than to receive them. The survey also indicated a shift in how people view gift-giving, with a significant number looking forward to giving more than they did in previous years.
This statistic echoes the yearning for acts of generosity — and why the desire to give back is as enduring as Scrooge’s century-plus-old tale.
The spirit of giving resonates with individuals and organizations alike. Tech companies increasingly focus on social responsibility and community involvement, understanding that the true measure of a company’s success extends beyond financial achievements.
Edelman’s “Trust in the Workplace” report reflects this trend, indicating that 70 percent of employees expect their jobs to offer societal impact — and view it as a crucial factor when considering employment.
Meanwhile, according to the 2021 Porter Novelli Purpose Premium Index, 73 percent of consumers said that companies must demonstrate how they support communities and the environment to gain their loyalty.
The Heico Companies’ and Hot Topic’s approach to corporate philanthropy and employee engagement illustrate how businesses can integrate generosity into everyday operations. Team members from each organization shared how the spirit of giving is integrated into its company culture.
The Heico Companies acquires and nurtures a diverse range of manufacturing, construction and industrial services businesses, focusing on long-term ownership and reinvestment for sustained growth.
How does The Heico Companies embrace the spirit of giving during the holidays and make it an integral part of company culture?
Giving back is important to The Heico Companies no matter the time of the year. Specifically, during the holiday season, we encourage employees to share ideas for giving back and follow through on those ideas.
We host book and coat drives, food drives, a giving tree event, adopt a local family and many others. There is no limit to the ideas employees can bring. Throughout December, you may see a holiday tree with mittens for the giving tree event or a couple of large boxes in our lobby for a current food drive. We try to ensure there is always a giving event taking place.
How does your company utilize its resources and expertise to give back to your local community or causes you care about? What initiatives or programs excite you the most?
The programs that excite us the most are the ones where our employees can get involved. This December we will be holding our first silent auction where employees can bid on donated items from various companies. All proceeds from the auction will be given to a local charity.
The giving tree is a popular event during the holidays. Employees can select a child or children from the tree and give them presents for the upcoming holidays. All gifts from the giving tree event are delivered by Santa himself right to their classrooms. We also enjoy programs where we can see the result of their generosity — the smile on the kids’ faces when getting a present or the family receiving the meals.
“We enjoy programs where we can see the result of generosity — the smile on the kids’ faces when getting a present or the family receiving the meals.”
What are the benefits of fostering a culture of giving during the holiday season?
The benefits of fostering a culture of giving during the holiday season allow employees to have the ability to give, donate, volunteer and feel part of something. It allows everyone to take a pause in their daily work life and to focus on something different, something that is very important to others outside the company whether that is a family, parent or child.
Employees can not only participate in the season of giving but also have a voice and ability to reflect who they are. We hope that with the many events we host during the holiday season and throughout the year employees are proud to say they work for Heico.
Hot Topic is a retail store that offers music and pop culture licensed apparel, accessories, and gifts. In 2015, they launched the brand BoxLunch, a specialty retailer, that is dedicated to offering top-notch licensed merchandise while also making a significant community impact, notably by donating a meal for every $10 spent to combat hunger in the United States, resulting in over 100 million meals provided through their partnership with Feeding America.
How does Hot Topic and BoxLunch embrace the spirit of giving during the holidays — and make it an integral part of company culture?
The spirit of giving is in the DNA of BoxLunch year round with our amazing partnership with Feeding America, providing a meal for every $10 spent in stores and online. For the holiday season, we celebrated our continued partnership with Feeding America at this year’s BoxLunch Holiday Gala. With the help of Giving Ambassador David Harbour, we donated $200,000 to Feeding America, as well as awarded $25,000 to stand-out food banks from across the nation to help in their own communities. To date, we have donated over 175 million meals, and I feel every day in the work we do, that we are an integral part of ending hunger here in the U.S.
How does your company utilize its resources and expertise to give back to your local community or causes you care about? What initiatives or programs excite you the most?
Here at BoxLunch, every store donates to their local food bank, directly impacting the community they’re in — so for every $10 spent in that store, a meal is donated to a person in need who is part of that community. Each food bank then provides resources and services to their community to help those facing food insecurity.
We are also encouraged to give back directly by using our company-provided volunteer hours to help at our local food banks. This past September, the BoxLunch team volunteered at the LA regional food bank for Hunger Action Day and packed food kits for individuals, families and seniors who are food-insecure in Los Angeles County.
“The benefits of fostering a culture of giving allow us to unite behind a common cause and put our hearts into the work that we do.”
What are the benefits of fostering a culture of giving during the holiday season? How does it contribute to employee engagement, community relationships or company reputation?
The benefits of fostering a culture of giving allow us to unite behind a common cause and put our hearts into the work that we do. As we work to support Feeding America, we strengthen our relationships in communities across the country and with each other. With so many passionate people working towards the same goal, BoxLunch has become a driving force in the movement to end hunger — something I am very proud of.
