Susan R.

Senior Manager, Toast.org

This past month, Toasters around the world came together to participate in Toast.org’s second annual Season of Giving. Our Season of Giving is designed to bring the strength of Toast’s people, products, and philanthropy together to support organizations addressing food insecurity and hunger in our communities. It’s an opportunity for us to get involved in our local communities, give back to those in need, and put our values into action.

Over the course of the month of November, Toasters hosted over 40 volunteer opportunities in 29 cities across the globe. Employees participated in a variety of events, such as serving dinner to the homeless in Ireland, packing lunch kits for students in India, and preparing Thanksgiving feasts for families struggling with food insecurity in the US. 

Damian R., Assistant Manager, Business Operations, pictured above, organized a volunteer event with a local program, East End House, that he had participated in as a child. For him, this was a very important opportunity to help an organization that supported his family for many years, especially after they lost almost everything in a tragic house fire.

“Being able to give back through Toast.org feels like a very ‘full circle’ moment for me,” Damian reflected. “I felt this was the least I could do to give back to an organization that has always been there for me.”

Additionally, Toasters participated in the 2022 Impact-athon. Hackathons are a time-honored tradition at Toast. Twice a year, employees come together to build or create something outside of their normal workstreams. The Toast.org team hosted their own category, where employees were challenged to create Hackathon projects that help end hunger and food insecurity. Two winning teams were each able to direct $2,500 in grant funding to a hunger eradication organization of their choice.

Toast.org also gave employees the opportunity to make donations to causes near to their hearts. For each logged volunteer hour, Toast.org rewarded employees with a $10 “mini-grant” that they could donate to a charitable organization of their choice. 

In our Boston, Chicago, and Omaha offices, we gave employees the chance to show off their Toast pride while also giving back! Our Workplace Experience team hosted the Toast Tinsel Tag Sales, where employees were able to purchase Toast swag, with 100% of the proceeds going to CORE, Children of Restaurant Employees. CORE is a program that helps children of employees in food and beverage service operations at times of health crises and natural disasters. We were able to raise $11,000! 

To top it all off, we launched the inaugural Toast.org Impact Grants. This program provides $1 million in funding to nonprofits that support underrepresented restaurateurs, create opportunities through culinary training, help restaurant workers, combat food insecurity and increase access to healthier foods in communities around the world where Toasters work and live. This included $200,000 in grants to organizations nominated by our Local Committee Chairs. 

Learn more about the $1.25 million in grants from Toast.org. 

One Impact Grant recipient was NĀTIFS, North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems. NĀTIFS' mission is to promote Indigenous foodways education and to facilitate Indigenous food access. They are dedicated to addressing the economic and health crises affecting Native communities by re-establishing Native foodways and they imagine a new North American food system that generates wealth and improves health in Native communities through food-related enterprises. We are humbled to contribute to their extraordinary efforts to support a flourishing food system!

“Toast.org is focused on creating a healthier, more sustainable and equitable world where people have enough nutritious and culturally relevant food to eat, where restaurant workers earn a living wage, where surplus food isn’t wasted, and where a diverse and inclusive restaurant community provides opportunity and generates impact,” said Amy S.B., Vice President of Social Impact at Toast.

Thank you, Toasters, for making such a great impact on your local communities this season! We can’t wait to continue bringing Toast.org’s mission to life through your passion, dedication, and drive.