At Bamboo, we’ve pledged ourselves to an ideal that we call the Bamboo Way. The Bamboo Way embodies our company’s commitment to collaborating with organizations to ensure success in their SharePoint journey.  We realize, however, that collaboration and a commitment to being a partner can, and should, extend beyond SharePoint.  As a result, in an effort to spread the Bamboo Way beyond our doors, we’ve launched Bamboo Cares, a charitable arm of our organization committed to giving back to the community.

Last month, with the involvement of our active Bamboo volunteers, Bamboo had the opportunity to host our very first Bamboo Cares program: a Thanksgiving Food Basket Drive to help a local organization, Cornerstones, provide a full Thanksgiving meal to the less fortunate in our community. Based locally here in Reston, Cornerstones is a nonprofit organization that promotes self-sufficiency by providing support and advocacy for those in need of food, shelter, affordable housing, quality childcare, and other human services.

I’ll admit that since this was our first program and we really wanted our kick-off to be successful, we decided to keep our goals modest.  To help ensure that no one went hungry this Thanksgiving, Bamboo committed to providing four local families with a Thanksgiving dinner.  For each family, volunteers assembled and donated festive baskets that included the following items:

• 3 cans of assorted veggies and 2 cans of fruit
• 1 bottle of cooking oil; 2 lb. bag of flour and 2
  lb. bag of sugar
• 1 box of instant potatoes or macaroni & cheese
  or stuffing
• 1 box rice, 1 box biscuit or muffin mix
• 1 snack (pretzels, chips, nuts, etc.)
• 1 box of dessert mix
• 1 $25 gift card to a local grocery store to go
  towards the purchase of a turkey/ham entrée

To say that the response from our organization was overwhelming would be an understatement.  Due to the generosity and commitment of Bamboo employees, we were not only able to provide a full Thanksgiving dinner to 11 families but also had plenty of extras that we were able to donate to a local homeless shelter.

I am personally so proud to be working among such selfless individuals and am truly amazed and touched by everyone’s commitment to ensuring that everyone in the community had a bountiful and happy Thanksgiving.  I am likewise happy to share that along with the contributions from Bamboo and other organizations, Cornerstones was able to assist nearly 1000 families with their Thanksgiving dinner in our region.

As an organization, we look forward to continuing to lend support to local charitable organizations and providing the tools, supplies, and volunteers needed to empower those in need to make positive life changes.  With the holiday season just around the corner, Bamboo Cares looks forward to our second corporate giving initiative:  a toy drive in cooperation with Toys for Tots. All this December, Bamboo’s Reston headquarters will be a drop-off location for toy donations from not only our employees but also any other individuals and organizations interested in giving. We look forward to having yet another successful drive and contributing to a joyous holiday season for all.