Red Hat scraps party, feeds needy

RALEIGH -- There'll be no whopping holiday party at Red Hat this year. The technology giant had booked the Raleigh Convention Center for its bash, which last year featured hundreds of workers all dressed up and ready to celebrate.

But with the economy in tatters, the Raleigh software company has decided to cancel the party and spend the money feeding the needy. It's enough cash to provide about 800,000 meals at food banks run by Feeding America - formerly Second Harvest.

In the Triangle, the group runs the Food Bank of Eastern and Central North Carolina and the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle.

The cash donation isn't all. Red Hat workers are also running canned food drives. Raleigh executives are throwing their weight behind the drives by offering to donate cash for every 500 cans donated. In Dallas, workers are running a coat drive.

A Red Hat spokesperson said the company felt like it had a duty to be socially responsible this year. When the economy bounces back, Red Hat will bounce back to traditional holiday parties.

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