Whether they’re raising money for our annual music festival fundraiser, The Challenge, or volunteering with local organizations to pack meals for families in need, our associates have decided that the best time to give back is all the time.
There is something particularly special, however, about giving back during the holidays.
“The spirit of giving is definitely more prevalent during this season,” says associate Jin Yoo. “Anything I can do to positively impact lives of families during this time is something I want to do.”
Yoo participated in this year’s Giving Tree, a heartfelt initiative at our Global Home Office (GHO) done in partnership with The Childhood League Center of Columbus, Ohio. Every December, beginning on Giving Tuesday, the Giving Tree is set up in the GHO café and adorned with tags for associates to take. Each tag has the information of a child or family that the associate can donate a gift to, either on their own or as a group with fellow associates.
This was Yoo’s first year participating. “Many people are in the position where they’re unable to provide for their families during this time,” Yoo tells us. “I wanted to help bring them some Christmas spirit. Every person, especially every child, deserves that.”
Children are often at the forefront of our thoughts when it comes to giving back; fortunately, the national non-profit organization, Operation Warm, makes this possible in a truly hands-on way.
For 25 years, Operation Warm has been manufacturing high-quality coats—and, in recent years, shoes as well—for children in need, which are then distributed with the help of community organizations and corporations across North America.
For the ninth year in a row, A&F Co. associates volunteered their time to support this mission, greeting students earlier this December at Olde Orchard Elementary School and providing them with new shoes and coats to keep them warm this winter season.
“I’ve felt inspired to give back to my community lately, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so,” says associate Mallory Holland, who volunteered with Operation Warm for the first time this year. “Seeing the huge smiles on the kids’ faces while they were trying on their new coats was so heartwarming.”
At the start of the event, volunteers were told how the impact of Operation warm eases the financial burden of families in the community, and how special it is for kids to be able to pick out their own new coats and shoes.
“I got to see that impact firsthand when I watched the kids’ faces light up as they chose their new items,” Holland remembers. “Such a simple action to volunteer just a few hours on my part, but so incredibly rewarding.”
