The staff at GMV SYNCROMATICS recently spent time volunteering by packaging meals at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. They processed almost 5,000 kilograms in wholesale food donations, dividing food into nutritional categories and repacking it for distribution to families in need.

There are more reasons for teams to volunteer than just charity.

Volunteering helps us forget about monetary objectives commonly tied to all efforts at work. Instead, we are forced to consider our shared values, which constitute our corporate identity. Orienting employees around their shared values helps renew and strengthen resolve toward shared business goals.

For GMV SYNCROMATICS, a provider of mobility technology for public transit, charitable organizations are intrinsically important. CEO Ian Sephton explains: “Volunteer organizations provide higher standards of living and improved public spaces. This matches our company’s vision for healthier, more transit-friendly communities for all.” The LA Regional Food Bank provided an avenue for the company to realize a small but critical part of its vision.

Experiences that inspire us to volunteer don’t always have to be rosy. At their office in Downtown LA, employees need only step outside to observe crises of homelessness, hunger, and inequality. But by spending time away from the daily grind, they reconnected with the very reason they come to work.

The next time your business goals seem to be lost in piles of work and time passed, consider what binds your objectives together, and volunteer time to shape it.