Communities are formed in all types of contexts. While they differ in their mission, they all share a common ingredient: connection.
The most successful communities are built on trust, compassion, and a bit of elbow grease. To thrive, the gift of community giving, no matter how big or small, is invaluable to ensuring your community is well-taken care of.
The Importance of Community Giving
People and their relationships make up a community’s core. Those drawn to a community feel a shared sense of purpose and often have the drive to use charity and volunteer programs as tools to better their communities.
Since the pandemic, people have become more aware of their surroundings and those in need, particularly magnifying the development of local community volunteer programs. Without dedicated, passionate volunteers, community success and available opportunities to thrive are limited.
The benefits of volunteer work aren’t just limited to the people in need. Both the volunteers and the company itself only stand to gain from participating in community giving programs.
Community Giving: Volunteer Benefits
Gain New Friends
Volunteering is an outlet for social interaction and forming new relationships. The icing on the cake? You’re exposed to like-minded people with similar interests by volunteering your time. You can grow your support system while making a difference for those in need.
Improve Your Health
Community giving is good for the community, and good for you! Volunteering lowers the rate of depression and anxiety by lowering stress levels and releasing dopamine, leaving you in a relaxed state of mind.
Improve Your Sense of Purpose
Those who volunteer often feel an increased sense of purpose and appreciation, especially when collaborating in areas they find meaningful.
Build Expertise and New Skills
Community giving is the ideal opportunity to apply your knowledge. Education, carpentry, and culinary skills are just a few areas community members can benefit from. Classes and educational courses come at a cost, but sharing your expertise? Free.
Community Giving: Company Benefits
71% of consumers believe businesses have a responsibility to their employees, the environment, and their community. A company’s surrounding community is the pulse of its own success. When your community thrives, so will your business.
Make a Positive Impact
Making community giving a priority allows your company and employees a chance to stand together and give back. Companies hold the power to unite and make sustainable social, economic, and environmental changes.
Engage Your Employees
Companies that recognize sense of purpose, meaning, and social impact have been listed as attractive qualities for a successful workplace. Opportunities to work together to create change contribute to overall employee solidarity, productivity, reduced turnover, and qualified applicants.
Align With Community Values
Aligning your company values with community well-being can help your business’s overall success, especially when it comes to things like hiring new employees, gaining investor support, and maintaining social wellness.
Make Community Connections
When you’re involved in your community, it’s more likely that you’ll connect with other organizers, volunteers, and business leaders. Not only can this open new doors for community giving, but it can also offer valuable opportunities to further improve your business through community resources.
Community Giving with Backwards Bread
At Backwards Bread, we’re committed to our community. We love any opportunity to do what we do and appreciate the people who have made it possible, so we do our best to give back when we can.
As another way to give back, any of our bread that isn’t sold is flash-frozen and discounted on Wednesdays. After Wednesday, any leftover bread is donated to local community giving programs so nothing we bake ever goes to waste. In addition, we offer two community giving programs.
Backwards Bread’s Bakery Volunteer Program
Since 2016, our bakery volunteer program has provided our valued community members with a collaborative opportunity to volunteer. While the program originally began with our retired parents assisting with bagging bread, making deliveries, and working farmers markets, it has since expanded into so much more.
As our business grew and we formed relationships with our regular customers, we saw increasing interest in volunteering. We now have a team of regular volunteers that assist us with almond croissant making and specialty items during the busy holiday seasons. Their excited attitudes and eagerness to learn leave us forever grateful!
For those seeking a volunteer opportunity that helps out a small business, get in touch with us. Our doors are open—and it smells pretty great inside!
The Backwards Bread Dana Bread Program
When COVID hit, we saw a rising community need for the basics, including fresh bread. We introduced the Backwards Bread Dana Bread Program as a solution for those in need.
The name “Dana” (pronounced ‘Donna’) is derived from a Sanskrit word, meaning “donation” or “gift.” In Hinduism, Dana is moral observation via a form of generous giving with no expectation of receiving anything in return—an ideal concept for the times we’re living in.
Every day, Backwards Bread bakes loaves of white and wheat bread for any member of the community at a “pay what you can” price. This bread is available for people to purchase at a price they’re able to afford, whether that be a little or none at all. It is because of the kindness and generosity of the community coming together and their contributions that ensure the program’s longevity and success.
All proceeds from the Backwards Bread Dana Bread Program are used to bake more bread, give back to the community, and contribute to local charities.
Get Involved with Backwards Bread
Practicing gratitude is deeply baked into Backwards Bread’s core values. Reach out to us via our website to learn more about our bakery volunteer program and the Dana Bread Program.