The 2013 Extra Helping™ Spring Food Drive kicks off on April 19
MONCTON, NB, Feb. 13, 2013 /CNW/ - New Brunswick food banks got a big
boost last year thanks to the $90,000 and 30,000 pounds food donated by
customers and colleagues during food drives held at Atlantic Superstore®, Save Easy® and nofrills®stores.
"Food banks in New Brunswick assist an average of nearly 20,000
individuals each month, 32 per cent of who are children," says George
Piers, president, New Brunswick Association of Food Banks. "The
donations collected through the annual spring and holiday campaigns
held at these stores go a long way to helping us keep our shelves
stocked all year long."
Across Canada, Loblaw banner stores like Loblaws®, Loblaw great food®, Fortinos®, Zehrs Markets®, Zehrs Great Food™, Your Independent Grocer®, valu-mart®, Real Canadian Superstore®, Extra Foods®, Atlantic Superstore®, Provigo®and nofrills®raised $1.8 million and 1.47 million pounds of food for local food banks
in 2012. Thanks to customers' generosity and support, donations in 2012
exceeded those of 2011.
Loblaw grocery stores have a long history of supporting food banks in
their local communities. In 2009, the Company rebranded their efforts
to the Extra Helping™ Food Drive campaign, a united, national campaign in an effort to reduce
hunger. Since then, Loblaw stores have raised more than $5.4 million
and more than 5.7 million pounds of food to support local food banks.
"Loblaw is committed to fighting hunger across Canada and we want to
express our utmost gratitude to our customers for sharing our
dedication to this cause and for their generosity in helping to feed
families in local communities," says Peggy Hornell, senior director,
Community Investment, Loblaw Companies Limited.
In addition, through annual corporate donations, Loblaw Companies
Limited has contributed $1.125 million to date to Food Banks Canada in
support of their National Food Sharing Program.
The 2013 Extra Helping™ Spring Food Drive kicks off on April 19, 2013 at Atlantic Superstore®, Save Easy® and nofrills® stores in communities across New Brunswick.
About the New Brunswick Association of Food Banks
The New Brunswick Association of Food Banks Inc. is a nonprofit,
charitable organization whose membership is comprised of food banks and
soup kitchens throughout the province of New Brunswick. The
organization's main activities include managing the New Brunswick
sharing program; operating a provincial food distribution system;
preparing a directory for members; representing New Brunswick food
banks as a member of Food Banks Canada; and improving public awareness
of hunger in the province.
About Loblaw Companies Limited
Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited, is
Canada's largest food retailer and a leading provider of drugstore,
general merchandise and financial products and services. Loblaw is one
of the largest private sector employers in Canada. With more than 1,000
corporate and franchised stores from coast to coast, Loblaw and its
franchisees employ more than 135,000 full-time and part-time employees.
Through its portfolio of store formats, Loblaw is committed to
providing Canadians with a wide, growing and successful range of
products and services to meet the everyday household demands of
Canadian consumers. Loblaw is known for the quality, innovation and
value of its food offering. It offers Canada's strongest control
(private) label program, including the unique President's Choice®, no name® and Joe Fresh® brands. In addition, the Company makes available to consumers President's Choice Financial® services and offers the PC® points loyalty program.
SOURCE: Loblaw Companies Limited
