Freshworks volunteers come through for India

Since its kickoff in India last November during Cyclone Michaung, Freshworks’ Global Giving Project has seen hundreds of volunteers in the Chennai and Bengaluru offices sign up to support a wide range of causes, from education to environmental sustainability.

“Giving has always been in Freshworks’ DNA,” says Shyam Anandaram, senior director of social impact at Freshworks. 

Despite the severe logistical challenges the storm posed during kickoff, volunteers came through. “We knew we had to push through because people needed our help,” says Anandaram.

Read also: How kudumba culture inspires compassion in crisis

Since then, over 17% of Freshworks employees contributed more than 1,230 volunteering hours in activities covering the company’s three social impact themes: community, education, and the environment. A few highlights of their work: 

• Harvested over 8,711 square feet of land on the outskirts of Chennai

• Decorated government school walls with educational paintings

• Created over 100 learning aids for autistic children

• Packed dry rations for 5,375 meals with the nonprofit Bhumi

• Stitched 42 blankets for animals on the streets and in shelters

• Planted over 400 saplings

• Partnered with Akshaya Trust to provide companionship to elders and Udayan Care to acquaint students with Microsoft Office

Changing lives closer to home

Volunteers pack dry rations for low-income families.

In the Freshworks Chennai and Bengaluru offices, volunteers packed dry ration kits, providing essential cooking supplies for 5,375 meals destined for low-income families. They also assembled 250 hygiene care packs for urban slum communities.

A team of volunteers spend Valentine's Day with elders at Akshaya Trust.

On Valentine's Day, volunteers from the Chennai office visited Akshaya Trust to spend time with 35 elderly residents, sharing games, memories, and food. “It’s all about giving people the dignity they deserve,” says Ahamed M, a member of the social impact team.

Employees extended their care to animals, too. In Chennai and Bengaluru, they completed stitching on cozy blankets for dogs, then donated them to Blue Cross of India Chennai and Cartman Animal Hospital Bengaluru. “Stitching blankets for animals might seem like a small gesture, but for these creatures living on the streets, it means warmth and comfort,” says Priya Ravichandran, a volunteer from Chennai.

Supporting bright futures in education

Freshworks employees in Chennai paint school walls with fun and vibrant murals.

In January, volunteers in Chennai painted three classrooms at Chennai Primary School in Teynampet with vibrant, educational murals. In Bengaluru, volunteers revamped the school compound wall and wash area of Government Lower Primary School, Seetharam Palya, in February. 

Volunteers make flashcards for autistic children in shelter homes.

Another group of volunteers created more than a hundred flashcards and other learning aids tailored for children with autism in shelter homes. “Knowing that we’re making education more accessible made me so happy,” says Gomathi Muthu, a member of the social impact team in Chennai.

Growing a greener world 

A group of volunteers plant saplings.

In early February, volunteers in Chennai planted 360 saplings at Tansidco Eco Park; in Bengaluru, they planted 65 more at Holy Cross Convent. “Planting saplings isn’t just about making our environment beautiful. I would like to believe we are sowing the seeds of change,” says Anandaram.