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Going Bananas Making 8,000+ PB&Js Once again, on a Friday in late spring, Twitter employees in San Francisco spent the day in service to their local community: helping in soup kitchens, installing Wi-Fi at homeless shelters, assisting in schools, and more. Called #fridayforgood, the bi-annual event began in 2013. During the inaugural service day and each year since, Bon Appétit General Manager Kevin McConvey has found a creative way for those unable to leave the office to participate. He and his team set up a peanut butter and jelly sandwich station in the main café, so volunteers could at least clock time on the PB&J assembly.
Every year, participation swells. More sandwich makers, of course, means more food for those who need it most, so year after year, the team expands the volunteer activity’s scope. This year, they set up stations at two different cafés and a third at the Periscope offices nearby.
Custard fruit tart
To create an upbeat atmosphere and celebrate the spirit of community service, Maria Baker, one of the café managers, dressed up in a banana suit and brought her two children — dressed in mini banana suits — to work. The trio danced around the café to the tune of the viral flash animation hit “It’s Peanut Butter Jelly Time!” while encouraging volunteers to up their sandwich-making pace. Everyone wanted to shatter the prior year’s sandwichmaking record. To inspire a continuing influx of volunteers, the organizers tweeted a Vine of the baby bananas asking for help breaking the 8,000 sandwich goal. Beginning at 8 a.m., hundreds of Tweeps showed up to lend their time to the endeavor. Bon Appétit Regional Marketing Director Jill Koenen, Regional Marketing Manager Janine Beydoun, Senior Director of Payroll Jee de Leon, and Administrative Support Services Manager Vicki Field also attended and participated, as they have since the first #fridayforgood three years ago. Even reality TV star chef and World Pizza Cup Champion Tony Gemignani came up from the Slice House in the market downstairs to make some sandwiches! The food recovery organization Food Runners picked up the sandwiches every hour, but following their last scheduled pickup, there were still 2,600 sandwiches to be distributed. That’s when Maria (café manager and adult dancing banana) "slipped" into action and contacted her husband, who picked up 1,000 sandwiches for distribution while Kevin loaded his car with the remaining 1,600 sandwiches and drove them to local shelters. In all, the collaborative effort was a huge success, surpassing the 8,000-sandwich goal with a whopping final tally of 8,181 PB&Js. The many individuals served by six community nonprofits and centers, including Glide Memorial, plus the residents of several low-income apartment buildings, benefited from the volunteer spirit of Twitter’s enthusiastic employees. Submitted by Kevin McConvey, General Manager Kitchenette Attendant Faye Caston and Café Manager Maria Baker flanked by Maria’s sons, Miles and Max
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