Braze Gives Back this Holiday Season

Published on December 21, 2022/Last edited on December 21, 2022/3 min read

A blue banner reads "2022 Holiday Volunteering" next to a globe with hearts, set against a snowy background.

AUTHOR

Braze Social Impact Team

December is here, and the holiday season is in full swing. Each year, Braze emphasizes the importance of giving back by hosting over a week of virtual, in-office, and in-person volunteer activities. This year, over 260 employees volunteered over 350 hours to, among other things, work in soup kitchens, pack hygiene kits, and wrap presents to better the communities where Braze employees live and work every day.

Here’s a short roundup of activities:

Packing Hygiene Kits: Outside of food, water, and shelter, hygiene products are one of the most essential needs for people who experience homelessness. That’s why employees across our Austin, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and London offices gathered to pack over 1100 total hygiene kits, including toothpaste, soap, and shampoo for nonprofits dedicated to ending homelessness and hunger including The Bowery Mission, Caritas of Austin, United Way of Metro Chicago, Whitechapel Mission, and Project Open Hand.

Two images side by side: on the left, people in the Chicago office are organizing boxes of items; on the right, individuals in the NYC office are sorting supplies into bins.

A collage showing two office holiday events: on the left, people in the San Francisco office are preparing gifts, and on the right, employees in the London office are gathered around tables with festive decorations.

Prepping Meals: Austin office employees rolled their sleeves up to prepare lunches at the Caritas of Austin community kitchen.

Two volunteers wearing matching black shirts smile while preparing food in a kitchen setting, with containers of sliced apples and other ingredients in front of them. The background features a winter-themed design with snowflakes.

Gift wrapping: "Weihnachten im Schuhkarton," which means "Christmas in a shoebox," is an organization that collects, manages, and transfers shoe boxes packed with gifts for children in need. In our Berlin office, employees worked together to pack a whopping 3000 boxes, which will reach 3000 children worldwide.

A group of people poses together with festive decorations, holding a large red frame that reads "#TeamChallengeAccepted." They are in a brightly lit room filled with boxes and holiday-themed items.

Shipping Medical Supplies: In Denver, employees volunteered with nonprofit Project C.U.R.E., whose mission is to address the staggering shortage of medical resources across the world. They gathered to sort and pack sensitive medical equipment for shipment, load containers, and stock inventory.

A group of five people stands in a warehouse surrounded by boxes, smiling at the camera. They are dressed in casual winter clothing.

Bringing Cheer to Seniors: Many of us are lucky enough to be surrounded by family and friends during the holidays, but for many seniors this isn’t always the case. Employees from our Singapore office visited the Thye Hua Kwan Nursing Home and participated in several activities to make the residents’ holidays a bit brighter. This included making Christmas decorations, playing a game of Bingo, and celebrating birthdays for seniors born in December.

A group of people gathered around a decorated Christmas tree, smiling and posing for the photo. Colorful craft supplies are spread out on the table in front of them.

Assisting the Visually-Impaired: Remote employees volunteered with Be My Eyes, a nonprofit that connects people needing sighted support with volunteers and companies through live video around the world. Through the app, volunteers answered 68 calls to help individuals with a variety of everyday tasks, such as matching blouses to shorts, starting their washing machines, reading ingredient labels, matching socks, and even helping one user sign up for a virtual coding program.

A virtual meeting with nine participants smiling and waving at the camera, set against a blue background with snowflakes.

As we move into the holiday season, we are incredibly thankful for the efforts of our employees, customers, and partners in making a difference in the lives of underrepresented and underserved communities. We also recognize that there are still significant global challenges that we must all come together to address, from economic disparities, to racial inequality, to climate change. We are committed to bringing the strength of our people, our technology, and our time to be a positive force.