A Month of Volunteering: How We're Expanding Our Pledge 1% Commitment

Sometimes making a difference makes all the difference, and we're striving to make an impact for our communities. This year, we expanded our Pledge 1% commitment to encompass volunteering in our local communities, as well as making cards for kids who will be hospitalized. 

Providing Access to Healthy Food for Children and Families

In the U.S. 13 million children are food insecure, and food insecure people are 2.9 times more likely to experience poor health. To help fight childhood hunger, we participated in making 2,000 sack lunches at Kids' Food Basket in Grand Rapids, MI. The organization distributes sack lunches to schools for kids to take home.

“It was a very rewarding experience knowing that we were helping provide food for kids who wouldn't otherwise have a meal,” said Carrie Brown, who is a content marketing manager at Passage Technology.

Making Cards for Hospitalized Kids

There have been high numbers of children hospitalized with RSV throughout the U.S. recently. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that RSV leads to 58,000-80,000 hospitalizations for children under five years old every year. 

To provide encouragement to them and all hospitalized kids, our team will be making Cards for Hospitalized Kids, as part of our month-long Giving Tuesday effort. This Chicago-based organization works to spread joy to more than 14,000 kids in 150 hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses in the U.S. with handmade cards.

Helping to Build and Improve Housing for Families

Rising interest rates and the housing shortage have made it more challenging for many families to afford housing. “Nationally, there is a shortage of more than 7 million affordable homes for our nation's 11 million-plus extremely low-income families,” explains the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Our Giving Tuesday volunteer efforts include Passage Technology staff helping out at Habitat for Humanity in Marshall County, Indiana. Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organization whose vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live.  

Volunteering and participating in events like Giving Tuesday is not only a way to help others, it also offers health benefits. “Volunteering can have a significant impact on a person’s health and well-being. It can reduce stress levels, improve mood, help people stay active and give them a sense of purpose. In fact, 94% of people who volunteer say that volunteering improves their mood,” explains Forbes.

Co-Founder Brent Gossett, said, “On Giving Tuesday and all year long, Passage Technology is proud to support Pledge 1% and make an impact in our communities.”