Cisco employees are always ready for some friendly competition for a good cause. During our annual Global Hunger Relief Campaign, our desire to give back brings out the competitive spirit in all of us.

The Cisco team in Richardson, Texas, held the official campus-wide kickoff for the Global Hunger Relief Campaign on November 15 with its annual Bowling for Hunger. The team with the highest score won a free bowling package, and the team that raised the most money received a huge trophy. This year, the Bowling for Hunger event raised nearly US$8,000 for the Campaign.

Cisco's headquarters in San Jose, California launched the 2012 Campaign with an executive food sort at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.  More than 45 executives and volunteers divided into three teams, led by Cisco Chairman and CEO John Chambers, Executive Vice President Randy Pond, and Chairman Emeritus John Morgridge. The teams competed to see who could sort 30,000 pounds of food to be distributed to families in need the fastest.

Cisco Executive Vice President Randy Pond (right) and other Cisco employees volunteer at the Second Harvest Food Bank.

While internal competition is fun, Cisco employees really crank it into high gear when we're up against other companies in giving back. The Cisco team in San Jose also participated in the 48-Hour Virtual Race to End Hunger from November 13 to 15.

The Virtual Race is an online challenge that rallies employees at Silicon Valley companies to support the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, which provides food to a quarter of a million of their neighbors in need each month. The Cisco team earned first place, raising almost$160,000 in 48 hours. Our prize -the Cisco logo will be featured on a Second Harvest Food Bank truck.

No matter how the money is raised, Cisco employees come through every year to fight hunger around the world with their time, energy, and creativity. Finding fun, competitive ways to raise the money just makes it that much more interesting.

Join Cisco to take action against hunger: Leave a comment on the CiscoHow Do You Give Facebook tababout how you give back. For every comment made on the page through December 31, Cisco will donate$1 to the World Food Programme -enough to provide 4 meals.