For companies
Employee volunteer ideas people show up for
Pick volunteering that happens on company time and ends with something your team can count, ideally with people from different departments working side by side. For companies in the GTA, Engage and Change offers three ways in: bring a team to pack winter survival kits on January 16, 2027, run your own kit pack on a date that suits you, or run a drive of new kit items.
The kits go out to more than 200 front-line agencies across the GTA, who hand them to people experiencing homelessness1.
This page is for companies. The January pack is for company teams only, and we don't place individual volunteers. On your own, you can give toward a kit or start a fundraiser on CanadaHelps.
A test for any idea
Five questions to ask before you book a volunteer day.
1. Is it on company time?
A weekend volunteer day asks staff to give up their own time. Our January 16 pack is a Saturday, and doors open at 7:00 AM1. Some teams like it that way, but if you need the whole team there, run your own kit pack on a weekday instead (route 2) and keep the Saturday optional for anyone who wants to come.
2. Will there be a number at the end?
By the end of the day the kits are counted and loaded out to front-line agencies across the GTA1. That count, and where the kits went, is the line for your CSR report.
3. Does the charity need your team there?
In 2015, Nonprofit Quarterly reported that charities often find corporate volunteer days a strain on their own staff, and that some exist mainly to keep a corporate funder happy2. A kit pack is built around company teams. Each January, company teams are the people who pack all 3,500 kits, in a single day1.
4. Will people meet someone new?
Kits get packed on assembly lines1, so people from finance, sales and the warehouse end up at the same table.
5. Can a small team say yes?
Teams start at 3 people1.
The routes
Three ways your company can help.
Route 1. Bring a team on January 16, 2027
Company teams pack kits together at one event in the GTA on Saturday, January 16, 2027. Doors open at 7:00 AM, and the venue is still to be confirmed1. A company donates to bring its team, and teams run from 3 people to 15 and up. The 2027 package lists what each level includes.
After the day you get the photos, your logo on the partners wall at engageandchange.org and a tax receipt for the donation, issued through the Unity Values Foundation1. Companies book October to December, because every item has to be bought and delivered before the pack1.
Route 2. Run your own kit pack, on your own date
If January 16 doesn't fit, your team can run its own kit pack at your own location on a date that suits you, through KITS FOR A CAUSE, who supply the items and handle the logistics1.
Donate kits as a group or organization
Engage & Change KITS FOR A CAUSE Program
Looking for an engaging corporate or group volunteering or team building activity? Make a difference through our E&C KITS FOR A CAUSE Program and help assemble care kits for individuals in need. The program was developed to accommodate groups of all sizes. Whether you are volunteering with friends, family, colleagues, or on your own, from groups of 3 to 10,000, your contribution directly impacts our community.
Or tick "Running our own kit pack on our own date" on the For Companies form.
Route 3. Run a drive of new kit items
For teams spread across offices or working from home, a drive works where an event can't. Staff collect new kit items, like socks or toothbrushes, for two or three weeks, and the company delivers everything in one bulk load, arranged through our interest form. Our drive guide has the steps.
No event day
If your team can't come, you can fund the kits instead.
Some companies sponsor the 2027 campaign and skip the packing. That money buys kit items and gets the finished kits to the agencies, and your recognition is the same as a team's1. Tick "Sponsoring the 2027 campaign" on the For Companies form.
Start with the package
Request the 2027 package.
Tell us roughly how many people you would bring. The package comes by email from [email protected], with what each level includes and what happens next1.
Questions people ask
The short answers.
What are good employee volunteer program ideas?
Ones that run on company time, end with a result your team can count, and mix people from different departments. A kit pack fits all three: your team packs winter survival kits, and the kits go out to more than 200 front-line agencies across the GTA1.
What are some examples of CSR initiatives for a small company?
A team volunteer day, a staff drive for items a charity needs, and a company donation that funds a program. With Engage and Change, a team of 3 or more can pack kits on January 16, 2027 or on its own date, staff can run a drive of new kit items, and a company can sponsor the 2027 campaign with no event day1.
Can individual employees volunteer with Engage and Change on their own?
No. The January pack is for company teams, and we don't place individual volunteers. Individuals help by giving toward a kit or starting a fundraiser on CanadaHelps.
How much does it cost to bring a team?
A company donates to bring its team, and what each level includes is in the 2027 package. Request it on our For Companies page and it comes by email.
Can we volunteer on a weekday instead of January 16?
Yes. Through KITS FOR A CAUSE, your team can run its own kit pack at your own location on a date that suits you, and KITS FOR A CAUSE supplies the items and handles the logistics1.
What is the smallest team you take?
Three people. Teams run from 3 to 15 and up; put your number on the form and we will tell you what fits1.
Sources
- Engage and Change. For Companies and Get Involved pages, engageandchange.org, as of October 2026; totals as confirmed by the board, October 11, 2026. For Companies.
- Ruth McCambridge, "The Unvarnished Truth (and Nonprofit Angst) about Corporate Volunteer Days," Nonprofit Quarterly, March 26, 2015. nonprofitquarterly.org.
Sources checked October 11, 2026.