It's not so difficult for companies to do things differently and get a bit of positive publicity. Red Hat, the open source software company is skipping their lavish holiday party this year and giving the cash to food banks in dire need of funds.

Even if naysayers call it a ploy, the tone is right:

"We felt it was the wrong time to be spending a lot of money on ourselves," said DeLisa Alexander, Red Hat's senior vice president for people and brand.

And the consequences are even better:

She declined to say how much money Red Hat will donate, but it's enough to pay for about 800,000 meals at food banks run by Feeding America.

Contrast this simple act to the ongoing calamity that is Big Three auto PR.

Feeding America accepts personal donations too. Click here for more information.

[Raleigh News & Observer via Linux Insider]