What’s your favorite Thanksgiving day dish? I am all about the candied yams. But then I factor in dessert and sweet potato pie takes a slice of my heart. Did you know that we buy an average of about 50 million pounds of sweet potatoes during the holiday season? How about the fact that 88% of turkey sales are during the holiday season? Here’s one that will really take the cake: Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic and the Natural Resource Defence Council found that Americans throw away 165 billion dollars in wasted food every year. It’s the time of the year where the food on our tables is in abundance, but let’s talk about how we can build a longer table and how that will serve our businesses.
It is the giving season, after-all.
A great, and often undervalued, way to market your company is word of mouth. How do you get people talking about you? Have meaningful interactions. This Thanksgiving, consider setting up a volunteer opportunity for your employees. Not only will it be for a good cause, but it will also create team morale. So you’re not just affecting the greater community outside of your office, but you are also affecting the communal aspect felt inside your office.
Here are some ideas for ways your business can get involved:
Volunteer at your local food bank or even Meals on Wheels
Organize an office food drive, even make it a competition if you want to spice it up. You could possibly even donate turkeys to families or shelters.
Participate in a Turkey Trot function. Be one of the sponsors and create a team of runners representing your business.
Adopt a family and have an office potluck
Create a virtual Thanksgiving event like Kindness To-Do Lists. You can even use the online space to advertise for possible Black Friday sales.
Use these ideas to come up with your own office traditions. Thanksgiving is a time to show how thankful you are for your family, friends, and co-workers. This holiday is a way to get closer to each other and our community. Those relationships can in turn cultivate a connection between our community and our businesses. So this Thanksgiving get out there and do some good together, then see what good comes to you!