VANCOUVER, March 7, 2013 /CNW/ - TSX: L: - Building on the Extra Helping™ Food Drive program, Real Canadian Superstore® locationsand the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society (GVFBS) are pleased to join
efforts in a new initiative to help fight hunger by participating in
Food Banks Canada's new Retail Food program in the Vancouver area.
The program will help provide fresh food (bakery, meat and produce) to
the 27,000 individuals and families that rely on the Greater Vancouver
Food Bank Society every week, of which 26 per cent are children.
"Unfortunately, we continue to see an increasing need throughout our
communities," says Aart Schuurman Hess, chief executive officer,
Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society. "This program will assist us in
providing our clients with a consistent flow of fresh food. We thank
the Real Canadian Superstore® team for working with us on this initiative, and for being such a
valuable community partner to us for many years."
With this new program, Real Canadian Superstore® locations, in addition to their ongoing donation of non-perishable food,
will work with the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society to set aside a
mix of fresh food, depending on product assortment and availability.
"Our grocery stores are proud to be part of the communities we serve and
we are pleased to have been able to develop an arrangement that helps
to increase the availability of fresh, quality food to those in need,"
says Alex Morrison, regional vice-president, BC/Yukon Operations, Real Canadian Superstore® & Extra Foods®, Loblaw CompaniesLimited.
In 2012, Loblaw banner stores in British Columba raised $160,000 and
140,000 pounds of food donated by customers and colleagues during food
drives held at Real Canadian Superstore®, Your Independent Grocer®, nofrills®, Extra Foods®, and Wholesale Club™ stores.
"We are very excited and thrilled to be a part of this progressive
approach to help meet the needs of local and provincial food banks.
Across the country, Loblaw banner stores will participate in the Food
Retail program in Vancouver, Montreal, Halifax, Winnipeg and Calgary,"
says Peggy Hornell, senior director, Community Investment, Loblaw
Companies Limited.
Nationally, Loblaw banner stores have a long history of supporting food
banks in their local communities. Since the launch of the Extra Helping™ Food Drive campaign in 2009, Loblaw has raised over $5.6 million in
cash donations and 6.3 million pounds of food. Additionally, it has
donated $1.125 million corporately.
The 2013 Extra Helping™ Spring Food Drive kicks off on April 19, 2013, at Real Canadian Superstore®, Your Independent Grocer®, nofrills®, Extra Foods®, and Wholesale Club™ stores in communities across British Columbia.
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 134,000 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.
About the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society (GVFBS)
The Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society (GVFBS) is a non-profit
organization dedicated to providing food and related assistance to
those in need. The GVFBS collects and distributes food for nearly
27,000 people weekly through 15 food depots and over 100 community
agencies located in Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and North
Vancouver. The GVFBS does not receive government funding and relies on
the generosity of individuals and organizations willing to donate
funds, food and time. For more information, please visit www.foodbank.bc.ca.
SOURCE: Loblaw Companies Limited
