Goals and progress
Community investment | Our program in action
Company to community
Location: New York
Summary: For 20 years, employees in our New York headquarters have been committing time to God’s Love We Deliver, bringing meals to people struggling with illness or isolation.
“Delivery.”
Our employees in New York say that simple word many times a week as they carry meals to people who are too sick to prepare their own. Sometimes the door opens only briefly as a health aide accepts the package. Other times, the exchange is more personal. A recipient will express gratitude that a stranger would show up even in the middle of a heat wave or snow storm.
“It’s so easy to make a difference. It only takes an hour,” says Tauren Hagans, who has been delivering meals almost since she started as an administrative assistant at Gap Inc. three years ago. “You walk back to the office and you feel like you’ve done something good. It gives you a little boost.”
“God’s Love,” the shorthand used around the office, began its work in 1986, originally in response to the AIDS crisis. The group provides 2,000 free meals a day to men and women dealing with mental and physical health issues. About 50 of our employees carry on a tradition that now spans decades, working in teams and covering for each other when scheduling conflicts come up.
New connections in the middle of a workday
Amy Saulnier, who works in Human Resources and usually partners with Hagans, recalls a day when she was volunteering by herself. She got a call asking if she could deliver extra packages. It was a hot day. It would have been easy to make an excuse. “There was no question — it needed to get done,” she said. “You feel really good, because if you didn’t get out there, it’s possible some people wouldn’t have food that day.”
Volunteers also value the chance to spend a lunch hour with colleagues. “We have a pretty tight team,” says Michael Chiabaudo, a senior print designer who organizes the delivery calendar. “I get calls all the time from people who want to join. It’s almost a club.”
Michael speaks of the “little connections” that make deliveries memorable. He has learned that one of the women he delivers to used to be a successful photographer, while another was a Broadway actress.
“Maybe you’re the only person someone sees that day,” he says. “They really brighten up. More than anything, it adds a sense of community.” Thinking of all the deliveries made by Gap Inc. employees over the years, he adds, “It’s an honor to be able to hold the torch.”
