It's the neighborly thing to do: lending a hand to newcomers in your community. For years, eBay’s Salt Lake City Changemakers — employee volunteers who organize local giving and service — have worked alongside the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to help refugees, asylees and other new Americans rebuild their lives in a new country.
eBay volunteers have pulled weeds on refugee-run farms, packed relief supplies, and led mock interviews to help IRC clients navigate the U.S. job market. Their hands-on service has made eBay a familiar partner in IRC’s Salt Lake City community.
This year eBay Foundation again selected IRC as a Global Give grantee, continuing its support for the organization’s work and building on years of hands-on service by eBay employees. The grant helps advance IRC’s entrepreneurship programs, while employee volunteers bring the partnership to life locally.
IRC is one of more than 30 nonprofits in 10 countries receiving nearly $3 million in Global Give grants from eBay Foundation in 2026. Through Global Give, eBay Foundation provides flexible funding to nonprofit partners expanding access to entrepreneurship, with a focus on communities where eBay employees live and work. Guided by principles of trust-based philanthropy, the approach empowers nonprofit partners to direct funding toward the needs they know best.
In Salt Lake City, that support builds on years of employee involvement. During Utah’s growing season, eBayers regularly volunteer at a farm operated through IRC’s New Roots program, which gives refugee farmers access to land and equipment to grow culturally familiar foods and, for some, build small businesses.
The volunteers weed, haul supplies, and tackle larger projects. In 2024, they helped build a high tunnel to extend the growing season; the following year, they built a fence to protect crops from deer.
Their work extends beyond the farm. Salt Lake City eBayers also run mock interviews for IRC clients, helping people translate existing skills and experience into the language and expectations of the U.S. job market.
That range of hands-on work keeps Matthew DeGraw, head of global customer protections operations planning and a Salt Lake City Changemaker, coming back.
“We’ve helped grow food, put together hygiene kits, and assembled furniture for refugees,” DeGraw said. “I can’t fix the world alone or solve everybody’s problems, but I can be part of the solution. Through Changemakers, I feel very fortunate that I’m able to help.”
Kati Robison, New Roots agricultural production senior specialist, sees the effect of that consistency. “Farmers recognize them and welcome them in as friends, even offering volunteers produce from the field in thanks for their efforts,” she said. “The impact is immediate: after a big clean-up or project completed in just a few short hours, farmers respond with gratitude knowing that their efforts are supported by the community, including their new friends from eBay.”
From Service to Entrepreneurship
The connection between Global Give and IRC is especially clear in Spice Kitchen Incubator, an IRC program that helps refugees, immigrants, and low-income entrepreneurs launch food businesses through training, market access, and shared kitchen space. When Spice Kitchen moved into a new building in February, eBay volunteers packed boxes, cleaned out the old space, and helped with the move.
Spice Kitchen also provides business training and one-on-one technical assistance with interpreters, helping entrepreneurs participate regardless of their level of English literacy.
Elsewhere across IRC, Changemakers have helped meet immediate needs as new arrivals settle in Utah. They have distributed winter coats, packed blankets for refugees overseas, and supported an annual back-to-school drive.
This year, 22 Changemakers donated enough supplies to fill 200 backpacks for IRC and Children's Service Society of Utah, an effort led by Global Buyer Experiences and Focused Categories Manager Jo Leak.
“A stocked backpack helps kids feel confident, prepared, and excited for school,” Leak said. “It’s a simple way to support learning, dignity, and a strong start to the year.”
More Than a Fresh Start
IRC works in more than 40 countries and 28 U.S. cities, helping people affected by humanitarian crises survive, recover, and rebuild their lives. In Utah, that work increasingly includes helping refugees and other new Americans build livelihoods of their own. In 2025, IRC served 269 entrepreneurs through New Roots, its Small Business Program, and Spice Kitchen.
In Salt Lake City, New Roots and Spice Kitchen help people turn existing skills into income and businesses. New Roots farmers grow food for their families and sell at local markets, while Spice Kitchen entrepreneurs receive training, shared kitchen access, and market support.
These community-led pathways are central to the work eBay Foundation’s Global Give grant supports. The grant helps advance IRC’s entrepreneurship efforts while building on a local relationship strengthened by years of employee service.
Looking ahead, Spice Kitchen Program Coordinator Jaycee Miller said the program wants to help entrepreneurs reach new markets, increase revenue, and build more independent businesses. “Through mentorship, skills-based volunteering, or other forms of engagement, these connections can help entrepreneurs strengthen both their businesses and professional networks,” Miller said.