Taking Action to “Care Deeply” Through Meraki Gives

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Cisco Meraki

4 min readOct 16, 2019

Taking Action to “Care Deeply” Through Meraki Gives

The Meraki Gives program joins nonprofit foundations — Chance the Rapper’s “SocialWorks” and Michael Airhart’s “Taste for the Homeless” — to help fight homelessness

At Cisco Meraki, our company values are woven into everything we do: Simplify Everything, Be Brave, Everybody In, and Care Deeply. Each decision starts with an attempt to live those values and ends with the question, “did this live up to our values?” In the Meraki Gives program, “Care Deeply” rings true in everything we do.

Meraki Gives is an employee resource group created to foster collaboration between employees and community endeavors using paid volunteer time to create positive impact locally and around the world. Cisco also offers employees 40 hours a year of paid time off to volunteer with an organization of their choice. Employees have done everything from visiting neighborhood schools to volunteering at orphanages. In addition, for many organizations, both our volunteer hours and monetary donations are matched by Cisco!

This year we are proud that Cisco is helping fight homelessness in the United States. In 2018, Cisco invested $50 million to reduce homelessness in Silicon Valley, partnered with Las Vegas nonprofit Clean the World, pledged to start a five-year mission to acquire land and develop supportive housing, helped pioneer technology to improve services for the homeless, and pilot new strategies to prevent homelessness.

“Though homelessness seems intractable, I believe that it is a solvable issue,” said Chuck Robbins, Cisco CEO. “I also feel very strongly that we have an opportunity — and a responsibility — to do something about it.”

Inspired by this initiative, the Chicago Meraki office saw an opportunity to help make a meaningful difference for their local homeless population.

Local Partnerships for a Powerful Impact

Chicago native Michale Airhart grew up in the Altgeld Gardens Project located on the far south side of Chicago. In the late ‘70s and ‘80s, like a majority of the African-American Chicago Housing Authority community, Michael faced social inequities due to a lack of resources, struggling to not fall prey to gangs, drug dealing, and addiction. Enticed by the lavish and luxurious lifestyle of crime, he eventually succumbed out of what he felt was a necessity to survive. Even though he worked on the streets, he often gave coats, clothes, and meals to families or anyone in need of help. After decades of supporting the community on his own, Michael established the foundation “All Kids Matter,” which gives families clothing, school supplies, mentorships, job opportunities, and more, in an effort to encourage kids to find a way out of street life and homelessness.

Since its establishment in 2013, All Kids Matter has served over 500 meals a day, on average, and maintained support for a huge network of homeless individuals. While the foundation was thriving, Michael set his sights on something even more impactful that required a celebrity touch.

He reached out to Chicago musician Chance the Rapper through Twitter, asking for a partnership with the rapper’s “Social Works” foundation. Much to his surprise, Michael got a call the following day to work together on a one-of-a-kind event called “Taste for the Homeless.”

“Taste for the Homeless” is a special event for citizens displaced and experiencing homelessness in the Chicago area, which allows guests to engage in community conversations and access much-needed resources. The event includes carnival rides, games, bounce houses, free haircuts, food, and access to wellness and mental health representatives.

Meraki Gives Fights for Chicago Homeless

“Taste for the Homeless” is now in its second year and Meraki volunteers showed up in full force to support this great cause.

More than 1,655 guests and neighbors were bused into the event from the Chicago area. Attendees were able to get support through over 16,000 items of donated clothes, and 69 food and resource vendors. They also found community and fellowship. The event was worked by 175 volunteers and organizers, including Social Works’ Executive Director, Justin Cunningham, who found the most useful and rewarding act was connecting.

We talked to guests about the kind of challenges they face every day. We listened to their thoughts, we took notes and we embraced. We walked the grounds hearing stories from folks who had come from their night shifts to support their longtime community members and friends. Some living in Chicago their entire life, and some even as homeowners throughout the years. They told wonderful stories of all the ways the Airhart family has supported the community and the many ways they inspire people every day. The day was a magnificent display of community care, a commitment to one another and their wellbeing, and a sense of loyalty and love.

The next “Taste for the Homeless” event is coming up this winter, with the exact date to be announced. Meraki Gives is excited for more people to be a part of this great cause, proving the power of community and caring deeply about one another. It’s an honor to be a part of a company that lives its values and empowers us to act on the things we care about.