In the midst of our hectic lives, volunteering can end up moving to the bottom of or dropping off our to-do lists. Whether you are a parent running kids to doctor appointments or school events, taking care of an elderly parent, or are early in your career, putting in those extra hours to shine – it’s easy to lose track of time and how we can spend it in ways that are important to us and our community.

When I interviewed with RAZR the mission statement of BE RELEVANT really hit home. Within this message, the founder and CEO of RAZR, Darren Nauss, opened a window – more like a sliding-glass door-sized challenge for each employee to give back to the communities we live and work in.

Throughout the year, RAZR team members can spend up to 40 working hours volunteering for philanthropic activities. Our RAZR Philanthropy team continuously organizes opportunities for us to serve our local communities. Red Cross blood drives, food shelf collections, picking and packing apples, prepping the local arboretum in the fall for the upcoming winter, and packing meals at Feed My Starving Children are some of the ways RAZR team members have already given back. Our biggest collaboration as a team in 2022 was coming together to shop the Christmas wish lists for 184 people across 52 families in North Minneapolis who were unhoused, highly transient, or new immigrants.

My family adopted four children to Christmas shop for – two little boys and two little girls. I have four children and understand the strain Christmas can put on a budget. To be able to give to this family, and have my children come along to find those treasures based on each child’s wish list was a true blessing.

Another volunteer program I have enjoyed is working at Prism, a Twin Cities food shelf. My first event there was packing children’s backpacks for the upcoming school year. Making sure each child was prepared with the supplies needed to start off their new grade felt like I was making a meaningful impact in their lives.

Most recently, a RAZR team went to volunteer in Prism’s Marketplace Food Shelf. The Marketplace includes full-sized grocery carts and shelves stocked with canned goods, personal hygiene products, bakery items, and a freezer with pre-packed bags of proteins and vegetables. The customer then pushes their cart onto a scale where it is recorded by staff and wheels it out to their vehicle to load their bagged groceries and take them home.

I feel incredibly privileged to have had the opportunity to work with Prism as their program ensures people of all walks of life and/or needs have access to basic human necessities. RAZR’s values, challenges to give back, and providing the time to volunteer in my community during working hours have filled my heart and soul and contributed to my goal of Being Relevant!

Written by Angela Kinneberg, RAZR Office Administrator