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At Red Hat, we pride ourselves on conducting business from not only an open source standpoint, but also with the community at large in mind. This even carries over into our approach to the standard corporate holiday party, as we enter our fourth year of the “non-party” holiday party. Rather than indulge in a big, internal shindig, we give back, and in a big way to a deserving charity.

Starting in October, Red Hat employees are encouraged to nominate their favorite charities for consideration. Previous supported charities have included the Alzheimer’s Association, Meals on Wheels and America’s Second Harvest. For the 2011 holiday season, we are pleased to announce that the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) will be Red Hat’s selected charity.

The WWP aims to honor and empower wounded warriors of the United States Armed Forces, working to not only raise awareness and enlist public aid for the needs of severely injured service men and women, but to also help injured service members aid and assist each other.

Beyond raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project, local Red Hat branches are also taking on specific causes in their communities. For instance, our Raleigh, North Carolina, headquarters has taken up the banner of hunger, collecting over 10,000 pounds of food for the Food Bank of Central/Eastern NC and Interfaith Food Shuttle.

Open source doesn’t stop at code or even at the business – at Red Hat, we’re trying to open up the joy of the holidays to everyone. Will you join us?