Megan Herzberg 

Employer Brand Co-op  

What a summer it’s been! Toasters around the world have stepped up to fight childhood hunger through our first End Summer Hunger campaign. This global initiative was sparked by a single idea—feeding kids during the summer months—and came to life through the creativity, teamwork, and impact of Toasters everywhere.

As part of Toast's $5M commitment to address food insecurity over the next five years, our co-founder and CEO Aman Narang joined No Kid Hungry’s CEO Pledge to End Summer Hunger—a cross-industry initiative of 16 brand leaders that aims to increase the number of children receiving summertime meals from 2.8 million to 31 million annually. This pledge served as a powerful catalyst, and a variety of other activities across our teams followed, helping us reach our goals.

On the Ground: Volunteering & Local Impact

Throughout the summer, Toasters organized more than 60 volunteer and fundraising events around the world to help close the summer meal gap. Our summer interns kicked things off in June by packing 400 meal kits for kids, a fantastic start to the campaign. This momentum carried throughout the summer!

We also got our youngest Toasters, our "croutons," involved! Kids in Boston, Omaha, Bangalore, and Taipei joined in activities like making sweet potato soup and packing meals for families, instilling a sense of purpose from a young age.

Across the Teams: Games, Challenges & Creative Giving

The campaign became a friendly competition as Toasters found creative ways to contribute. We held a weekly "Knock Out Hunger" tournament on our basketball court, where members of our Senior Team joined the fun, proving that even a little competition can lead to a big impact. We also ran weekly pop-up challenges with a chance to win swag, asking Toasters to donate or learn facts about summer’s unique challenges in relation to food security for children. 

Beyond the challenges, individual Toasters stepped up with unique initiatives. Our favorite barista, Alex, made specialty coffees and donated all his tips to our fundraising campaign. One dedicated Toaster led yoga classes, with all proceeds going to hunger relief. We launched Toastle—our Toasty twist on Wordle—with five-letter words connected to restaurants, food, or life at Toast.

The Power of Partnerships & Our Platform

The campaign’s reach was amplified by leveraging our product and our partnerships. Toast customers had the option to turn on Toast Fundraising for No Kid Hungry, giving their guests a simple way to help end summer hunger. Every new customer referral also generated a direct donation from Toast to No Kid Hungry.

Our Customer Education team hosted a "Step Up to End Summer Hunger" steps challenge, inspiring Toasters to get moving while raising funds. In Omaha, our team got their hands in the dirt to harvest our Toast.org garden for families facing food insecurity. Toasters also participated in speed consulting, sharing their expertise with four hunger relief nonprofits to help amplify their impact.

A Summer of Purpose

This summer’s campaign was a powerful reminder of what's possible when we come together. From the creativity of our teams to the dedication of our leadership, every single activity contributed to a single, powerful goal. The energy and passion were infectious, proving that the commitment to our mission is alive and well—inside and outside our offices.