The recession of 2008 hit many people hard. In the tech and media sectors in particular, many lost their jobs, and companies were forced to tighten their belts to avoid further cuts. As a result, holiday parties were cancelled, and holiday cheer was hard to find.  At the same time, food bank usage skyrocketed, with demand exceeding supply. That year, a group of tech-minded and concerned citizens decided to bring a little holiday spirit to a dark time, and help others in less fortunate situations beyond their immediate social networks.

So HOHOTO was born through a series of public and private social media conversations, primarily via Twitter and other online networks. In a short period of time, the whole social media community – beyond the founding group – came together to raise a significant amount of money and food donations for the Daily Bread Food Bank. All while raising a drink or two in the holiday spirit.

This year things are looking a little more optimistic, yet food bank demand is still sky high.  Once again the community rallied, this time in even in bigger numbers thanks to the buzz generated amongst local social media users. (Our own Rochelle played a big role this year in coordinating the event.)

Cloud AdAgents is pleased to be a sponsor of this year’s HOHOTO, as the Daily Bread Food Bank is near to our hearts. Our president, Peter, has been a longtime supporter of this charity, and his former agency spearheaded their move online with GiveGroceries.ca back in the early 2000s. As well, it threw a fundraiser of its own (the Direct Marketer’s Other Ball was an annual event for 7 years). This year, not only did we make a donation to the cause, we also conducted a mini food drive of our own at Cloud Free Agent Espresso Bar.

We are proud to have been a part of such an inspiring community. 2011 is going to be a big year for cloud-sourced events, campaigns and ideas, and we cannot wait to see what’s in store.