During the holiday season, Austin-based scrum masters from the WellSky Engineering group volunteered at two non-profit organizations to give back to the Austin community.

On November 11, they volunteered at the Austin Police Operation Blue Santa, an organization that provides toys and food for families in need during the holiday season. The team packed 595 gift bags to be distributed to children within the Austin community. This year the Austin Police Operation Blue Santa plans to serve over 8,000 families and around 18,000 children.

“Volunteering at Operation Blue Santa was such a fulfilling and FUN opportunity. I enjoyed seeing the number of gifts we packaged for children within the Austin community,” said Alex Hawks, a WellSky associate scrum master. “It was heartwarming packaging these gift bags, knowing that a child would be opening this gift on Christmas morning.”

On December 16, a group of WellSky scrum masters and engineering leaders volunteered with the Central Texas Food Bank, helping the drive-thru food distribution operation. The Central Texas Food Bank is a non-profit organization dedicated to nourishing hungry people and leading the community in the fight against hunger. Kassandra Foote, a senior manager within the WellSky Engineering group, said of her experience,

“Volunteering with the largest hunger-relief charity inTexas was a humbling and rewarding experience. I enjoyed meeting and greeting the people we served and seeing their faces light up as soon as they drove up to our station. I also enjoyed bonding with my teammates in person, working together for a great cause, and improving the hand-off process after each load.”

WellSky encourages teammates to give back to the community and offers paid Volunteer Time Off (VTO) to all teammates.