Local Grocers Launch Island Food Caring Campaign
May 31, 2019
Local Grocers Launch Island Food Caring Campaign to Support Food Rescue Project
VICTORIA, BC – Five grocery store operators and the Victoria Foundation announced the launch of Island Food Caring, a new campaign to raise awareness and funds for the Food Rescue Project, an initiative of The Food Share Network. A collaboration of funders, donors, grocery retailers and community organizations committed to a food secure region, the Food Rescue Project recovers and redistributes healthy, fresh food to food insecure communities in the region.
The five participating grocery stores include Country Grocer, Fairway Market, Red Barn Market, The Root Cellar and Thrifty Foods. “The tagline for the campaign is ‘Let’s take hunger off the table’” said Country Grocer Director Craig Cavin. “We know that access to healthy, affordable food is a significant concern for the 50,000 residents of the region who are food insecure and we’re proud and humbled to be one of the founding partners of Island Food Caring to engage our customers in taking hunger off the table for the residents of our region.”
“Our customers have always been community-minded, and I’m confident they’ll get behind this important campaign and help us create a food secure region,” added Thrifty Foods Vice-President of Operations Ralf Mundel. “Our stores, along with our partners, currently recover 2,000 kilograms of fruits, vegetables, and dairy products per day, six days a week. But we know that a program like this requires a lot more than just food to make it work. It takes equipment, transportation, staffing and more, and that’s what the funds raised through this campaign will go towards.”
The Island Food Caring campaign will run in participating grocery stores throughout the capital region from June 1 – 23. People can donate at the till or via the program’s website. In-store promotions will be reinforced by additional marketing by the partners including social media and a campaign website. Funds raised will go to the Victoria Foundation to be distributed to Food Share Network partner organizations participating in the Food Rescue Project. Victoria Foundation will be matching the amount raised up to $25,000.
“Our commitment to food security goes back more than 83 years to our organization’s roots in a soup kitchen on Pandora Avenue,” said Victoria Foundation CEO Sandra Richardson. “But for the Food Rescue Project to be successful, it requires broad community involvement and the Victoria Foundation is thrilled to be partnering with local grocery stores for this campaign. This is a great opportunity for everyone to be part of ending hunger in our community.”
“Food insecurity is not just isolated among a small group of people,” noted Matthew Kemshaw, Executive Director of LifeCycles Project Society and Chair of the Food Share Network. “This issue touches children, youth, seniors, single parents… everyone. More than 50 agencies are distributing this food throughout the region, so the people that you are helping are your neighbours. We believe that by working together we can ensure everyone has dignified access to healthy, delicious food.”
More information on Island Food Caring can be found at https://islandfoodcaring.ca
Country Grocer
Country Grocer is a Vancouver Island and Salt Spring island family owned and operated grocery chain with seven convenient locations. We are celebrating 35 years on Vancouver Island this year! We have earned a reputation as a truly local company with a deep commitment to our local communities and to the Island’s farmers, growers and producers.
Fairway Market
Fairway Market proudly brings 55 years of experience and a family passion for providing quality foods and service to our customers. We have grown from a small family business to one of Vancouver Island’s largest independently owned grocery stores with 10 locations on Vancouver Island. Fairway Market understands the importance of family and community and continues to build on the earnest foundation laid by Founder/Chairman, Don Yuen. Company President Doug Yuen, fourth generation grocer is focused on offering a diverse range of fresh, local produce and imported specialties; Fairway Market’s extensive selection of international products reflects the varied cultures and unique tastes of our communities.
Food Share Network
The Food Share Network was formed and continues to evolve in response to issues held in common by a diverse group of stakeholders working to end food insecurity in the capital region. Member agencies of the Food Share Network share the common desire to ensure everyone has dignified access to healthy food. There are currently over 50 participating agencies collaborating as part of the network.
Red Barn Market
Red Barn Market is a locally owned Victoria business. We source Island raised, Island made, and Island grown first. We look to our local growers to provide us with the best seasonal fruit and vegetables our customers have come to expect. Every day, we are hard at work creating our own specialty line of smoked cheese and over 100 different meat products all with a mouth-watering range of incredible flavours; prepared in-house. Visit our sandwich bars for our famous "Tall as the Barn" sandwiches, built just the way you like. Seven locations to serve you in Greater Victoria.
The Root Cellar
Opened 2008, The Root Cellar – a unique, award winning food market – is much loved in the community for its farm fresh, dirt cheap and delicious approach to fresh food sourced with a local focus, and for its championing of local farmers and producers. Additional departments have since been added: The Potting Shed florist and garden centre in May of 2013, The Chop Shop full-service butcher and deli followed later that year, and most recently, The Coffee Project in March of 2018. Recycling initiatives, ongoing community support and involvement, and the ceaseless efforts to give more people the opportunity to access good, local, healthy produce has made them a destination in the Greater Victoria community.
Thrifty Foods
Since first opening its doors in Victoria’s Fairfield neighbourhood in 1977, Thrifty Foods has been committed to a customer-first service model with a hands-on commitment to our community. Thrifty Foods takes pride in the sustainability of its supply chain and stores, demonstrating a commitment to ensuring ethical trading practices, and maintaining and building new stores that minimize energy consumption. This unique approach is also paired with an unwavering commitment to partnering with local food producers across British Columbia. Thrifty Foods does these things because they want to help build the kind of world we'd like to live in - today, tomorrow, and for generations into the future.
Victoria Foundation
Established in 1936, the Victoria Foundation is Canada’s second oldest community foundation and the sixth largest of nearly 200 nation-wide. The Victoria Foundation manages charitable gifts from donors whose generosity allows them to create permanent, income-earning funds. The proceeds from these funds are then distributed as grants for charitable or educational purposes. To date the Victoria Foundation has invested more than $225 million in people, projects and non-profit organizations that strengthen communities in B.C. and throughout Canada.
