Sam Z. 

Program Manager, Toast.org

Toast.org hosted the fourth annual global Toast to the Earth, a month-long event designed to bring the best of Toast – our people, our product and our philanthropy – to make the world a healthier, more sustainable place. Centered around Earth month, Toast to the Earth featured a collection of activities for Toasters to work together, driven by purpose and impact, to help our planet throughout April. This year, our local committees deepened their alignment with the Toast.org mission by organizing volunteer events focused on the environment, food recovery, and community agriculture. 

Toasters in Omaha

This meaningful gesture set the tone for what turned out to be an inspiring few weeks of collective action. This year's Toast to the Earth was extremely successful, uniting Toasters around the world through 58 volunteer events. For every hour volunteered, participants earned donation rewards in Benevity to donate to a cause of their choice. In addition to these efforts, we awarded over $200,000 in grants to local organizations, selected by our 68 local committee chairs. Beyond volunteering, we hosted a powerful webinar in partnership with Spoonfuls, where participants learned about food waste recovery and how to reduce waste at home by joining the Food Waste Recovery Challenge. Ireland also contributed by hosting an insightful webinar on reducing digital pollution and promoting sustainable development practices.

This aligned perfectly with the mission of Toast to the Earth, which centers on promoting sustainability and finding meaningful ways to positively impact the environment. This year, in addition to our core focus on environmental efforts and supporting local communities, we expanded our mission to include hunger relief. Many teams dedicated time to planting seedlings in community gardens, with the harvests later donated to those in need. Activities throughout the month reflected a thoughtful blend of environmental stewardship and food security.

Atlanta Team volunteering with Food Well Alliance and Historic Westside Gardens

Charlotte Toasters at Nourish Up

Toast to the Earth is one of our largest annual activations, encouraging participation from all employees. A highlight of the initiative is the Employee Grants Challenge, a pitch competition designed to spotlight environmental organizations focused on hunger relief. This year, we selected 12 finalists and awarded $45,000 in grants to organizations championed by Toasters across the globe. 

Each finalist presented their chosen organization during a special Earth Day webinar, where senior leaders evaluated pitches based on impact, alignment with our company’s purpose, and opportunities for employee engagement. One of this year’s winners, Jessica LZ., dedicated her grant to Denver Urban Gardens in honor of her late father. Her story exemplifies how the Employee Grants Challenge not only empowers employees to support causes they care deeply about, but also offers a platform to make personal connections and share meaningful experiences. 

What made this year especially impactful was the launch of Food Rescue Week during the final week of April, encouraging Toasters to participate in food rescues through our new partner, Food Rescue US, or a local organization of their choice. The initiative led to 8 successful rescues, saving over 1,000 pounds of food from going to waste, from both retail stores and an in-office lunch. Food Rescue Week seamlessly aligned with our core values of supporting food access, strengthening communities, and protecting the environment.

Boston Toasters at FoodLink

Food Rescue Week 

Across the globe, our international teams embraced Toast to the Earth in meaningful and diverse ways! In Bangalore, Toasters partnered with the RUVA Foundation to build sparrow homes, which were placed in the restored forest areas of Bannerghatta National Park, directly contributing to the conservation of endangered sparrows. In Ireland, the team rolled up their sleeves at GLAS Community Gardens, preparing garden beds for a successful growing season. Meanwhile, the Calgary team hosted their first-ever Toast.org event, supporting Mustard Seed, an organization that provides meals while tackling food waste and related social issues.

Bangalore Team making Sparrow Homes

Calgary Team 

Thank you to our incredible community of Toasters who consistently show up with a desire to make a difference. We’re proud to be a global company that not only values giving back but is powered by employees who live that value everyday. Here’s to growing our impact even more in the year ahead!