The holidays are a time for joy, gratitude, and giving from the heart

The holiday season is meaningful for many reasons, and one common thread is the spirit of giving. There are countless ways to give and share, and at Jouta, we do what we can to give back by both supporting our communities and paying it forward.

This year, Jouta gave each team member money to pay it forward/share in a way that feels meaningful for them – whether that be anonymously paying for someone’s groceries/meal/coffee or contributing to a local charity (or any combination thereof) – and team members matched all or a portion of it.

Below are a few highlights of how the team chose to give this year.

How the Jouta team chose to give/pay it forward

There are few things more delightful than giving from one’s own heart with no expectation of a thank you or anything in return. For that reason, we wanted to keep this anonymous and without any parameters. As one team member described, “I’m going to listen to my instincts and give as I’m ‘called’ to do. I don’t go looking for it, it usually finds me…”.

Some examples of how the team gave include:

  • Leaving a gift card at Starbucks to pay for the next X number of orders until it runs out
  • Putting money towards the bill of the next person who picked up their mobile grocery order
  • Leaving money with ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘To brighten your day’ notes under windshield wipers, on grocery shelves, and in other random places 
  • Leaving money in an envelope (with a note “signed from” their cats) at the vet clinic to be put towards the next emergency care or unexpected procedure
  • Giving $100 in an envelope to a few individuals who went way over and above and/or moved them/others in some way
  • Going to the food bank lineup and offering to take two people on a $100 grocery shopping spree at Nesters

Team members also donated in various ways to their community food banks and other organizations that put together Christmas baskets and hampers.  

What it felt like to give anonymously/ pay it forward

While donations and anonymous giving were the actions, both the intent and impact were so much more than that. Despite another challenging year that followed a few other challenging years, we know we’re very fortunate and have much to be grateful for. We were all touched by taking part, it felt good and allowed us to tap into our intuition, and for some, the recipients were near and dear to our hearts and/or chosen due to personal circumstances. For example, one team member gave back to the same food bank her mom used when they were kids, and who also provided her with her first volunteer opportunity.

As quoted by a few of our team members:

  • I feel blessed to be able to support and spread some kindness because it is so needed
  • It helped me remember that while Christmas seems to be the time of giving, I want to be more intentional in giving, in all ways, throughout the year
  • I felt a little mischievous sneaking around to hide money, but mostly delighted that 10 people will get a fun little surprise
  • I love the feeling of knowing we’ve made someone’s day, put a smile on their faces, gave them a little lift
  • We all know the feeling of being hit with an unexpected hardship, crisis, or devastation; I wanted to remove just a bit of the financial pressure during an already difficult time
  • I am so grateful to work for an organization that truly cares about others and who go out of their way to create unique ways to show kindness

We know that not everyone is in a position to give financially, in kind, or even in time or service. Whether or not you are inspired to follow suit – alone or with your teams – we are honoured to share this with you.   

We also want to take this time to tell you how very grateful we are for each and every one of you. Without you, we wouldn’t be in the position we are. From our team to yours. From our homes to yours. Thank you – sincerely.   

We wish you joy, peace, and gratitude this holiday season.