Message of Gratitude from Julio Carrillo, Acting CEO

Many of us connected with TechBridge will soon gather with family or friends for a Thanksgiving feast and will reflect upon our good fortunes and the gift of being together to share our blessings. As TechBridge supporters, I know your thoughts will also include those less fortunate, many of whom are helped by the hundreds of nonprofit charitable organizations that TechBridge supports to do more good.

Hunger

You can be proud that TechBridge fights hunger through technology. TechBridge software helps food security organizations like Feeding America move 6 billion pounds of food each year through food banks, food pantries, and shelters to those most in need across the nation. In our now decade-long relationship with Feeding America and others in that space, we have harnessed three types of technologies to protect against hunger and food waste through inventory management technologies and redirect these goods to nonprofits working on the frontlines. Revolutionized by forward-thinkers like Bill Bolling of the Food Well Alliance, day-to-day hunger in this country has been redefined, in part, because of the bridges built between businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies with the application of information technology. TechBridge solutions make food more secure and more accessible, helping people find hope, survive, and move out of poverty and toward stable lives.

Want

Want in the land of plenty has long perplexed Americans. How can we fix this? We are a nation of smart, industrious people with immense resources. Where can the answer be found? To that, I think of something prudent our 2019 Ed Steinike CIO Award recipient Bryson Koehler (CTO, Equifax) told the audience at the Digital Ball; Bryson observed that — looking at all of the issues that impact those trapped in poverty — Technology is the thing we haven’t tried before, and I believe that makes what TechBridge does wonderfully exciting. Perhaps, information technology is going to be the game changer in history for food insecurity and other areas. It’s the thing we haven’t tried before.

Support

We at TechBridge are grateful for your support. While you are making subsequent meals out of your Thanksgiving leftovers, I ask you to include TechBridge in your “after Thanksgiving” thoughts by helping us with our participation in a one-day Georgia statewide fundraiser called GAgives. The idea is to get tens of thousands of people around the State of Georgia to give dollars online to various causes on (or right before) the Tuesday following Thanksgiving Thursday. Giving Tuesday falls on December 3. This Giving Tuesday, TechBridge is asking supporters to leverage their networks by encouraging people to donate $25, $50, or $100 to the future of the Technology Career Program created for people living in low-opportunity neighborhoods to set them on the pathway to a stable technology career. Along with the curriculum and mentoring from technology professionals and instructors, these students need technology, laptops, transportation stipends, certification testing, and a number of other essentials during the free, 16-week learning experience. Our goal is to raise money, of course, but an equally important goal is to raise awareness among the technology community and employers seeking a pipeline for entry-level tech positions. Employment for future graduates is also top of mind, so please consider reaching out to Andre Dickens to learn how to plug into the Technology Career Program candidates.