ZSuite Tech has built a reputation for working with some of the nation’s most important banks. This winter, we added a new type of bank to that list: the Central Texas Food Bank (CTFB). This institution was the second food bank in Texas and started serving meals in 1982. In 2022 they provided nearly 54 million meals to families in Central Texas.
Volunteering with a local non-profit organization is a tradition of our semi-annual gatherings. It’s one of the ways we connect in person that isn’t feasible most of the year as a remote-first company. This year, 29 ZSuiters rolled up their sleeves and donned sanitary gloves to sort and pack food at the CTFB.
Volunteering to put a dent in food insecurity
Central Texas is a fast-growing region with lots of economic opportunities. It also has lots of opportunities for families to make tough choices – choices between food and rent, or food and medicine. Stereotypes about homelessness are simply untrue: 93% of the clients served by the CTFB are not homeless, but they do need help feeding their families.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, “food insecurity means a lack of access to enough food for an active, healthy life.” Food insecurity disproportionately affects minority communities, but there’s no restriction on who can help with the solution.
That’s why the leadership at ZSuite Tech felt that the CTFB would be a great place to volunteer as a team to help lighten the burden on the food bank and the clients they serve.
Dealing in calories instead of dollars
As a company, ZSuite works closely with financial institutions, also known as “banks,” that take in deposits and distribute loans. The vast network of independent financial institutions in America is a key factor in our nation’s economic strength. These banks are experts at safeguarding money and allocating capital in the form of loans. These activities drive growth for businesses and, subsequently, the communities and families that flock to economic opportunity.
The CTFB is a very different kind of bank but works on an equally powerful mechanism. Donors, such as grocery stores and businesses, give food or monetary donations. The CTFB sorts these donations or buys food, repackages it in portable boxes, and distributes the food across a network of partners and local food pantries. This network includes nearly 300 partner agencies, including federal assistance programs, charities, and other government agencies.
Lending help – no repayment needed
The CTFB is a complex non-profit organization that educates people, advocates for those in need, and raises funding as well as attracting food donations. They provide classes and teaching resources on low-cost, healthy eating for families in need. In fact, the CTFB even offers culinary classes to help unemployed people gain the skills required to apply for jobs in the food service industry.
One of our company’s four core values is “Serve,” and we are always looking for ways to express this value through words and actions. Although ZSuite Tech isn’t a non-profit organization, we’re dedicated to serving in the communities where our employees live. A significant portion of our team lives in Central Texas.
Many hands make a major deposit
Once our team arrived at the CTFB’s facility in Austin, TX, we were impressed and humbled by the obvious professionalism and efficiency on display. Volunteers provide the majority of the labor needed to keep the food bank operating at full capacity, so coordinating and deploying teams of people who may have zero experience is a full-time job.
The CTFB staff quickly got the volunteer crew, including some non-ZSuite folks, up to speed and on the assembly line to sort, weigh, package, label, and palletize the food. In roughly three hours, our “shift” prepared 765 boxes, equivalent to 6,433 meals. Everyone had a role to play, and the time passed in a blur of smiles, pallet jacks, and busy hands.
Of course, food insecurity is a challenge that can’t be solved in three hours, but our team gladly put their hearts, shoulders, and minds behind the mission of the CTFB. In fact, it hardly seemed like work at all, just a passionate team serving a great cause.
