2023 ESG Report
Feeding Ottawa: Jeff's big drive
December 21, 2023
Jeff Brierley, store owner of Brierley’s Your Independent Grocer® and a member of the Planning Committee for The OC Transpo/Loblaw Christmas Food Drive event in Ottawa considers the weeks in the lead up to December 9, 2023, as one of his busiest in the year. He and his team worked tirelessly behind the scenes to organize one of Ottawa's largest annual single-day grocery store food drives.
Together, 24 stores, from No Frills®, Loblaws®, Real Canadian Superstore®, and Your Independent Grocer, pulled off an incredible feat, raising a whopping 57,000 pounds of food to support the Ottawa Food Bank. Brierley’s Your Independent Grocer, collecting an impressive 5,370 pounds of food in just one day, generously donated by their employees and customers.
“Pulling off 24 same day, store-led events in a synchronized manner takes a lot. We coordinate with other stores, work closely with our food banks partners, rally volunteers, and sync up with our colleagues to make the day successful. Everything from logistics to customer service requires meticulous planning. But looking at the results for this year, it makes every extra moment and effort truly rewarding.” says Jeff Brierley.
The importance of the success of this year’s National Feed More FamiliesTM Holiday Food Drive has been felt more than ever before. Amidst the economic uncertainty, 2023 saw the food bank usage at an all-time high. To support our local food bank partners at a time when they need us the most has required our store colleagues to step up and get creative with how they make a difference in their communities.
Jeff reveals the secret behind his store’s success, “We made hard work fun. We had challenges like, 'Which team can make the most pre-made donation bags for customers?' Engaged volunteers can double the impact, so we challenged ourselves to make our interactions with them thoughtful and supportive. Ultimately, it’s the shared sense of purpose and commitment displayed by everyone involved that got us to where we are today.”
“As a company, we can’t solve for the complex issue of social inequity and climate change on our own, but when we remain committed to doing our part, we make a meaningful difference.”
And making a difference in the communities we serve is what makes Loblaw a proud purpose-led company.
The recently held event in Ottawa was part of the ongoing 2023 National Feed More FamiliesTM Holiday Food Drive ending on December 24th (the campaign in Quebec runs until December 31st). The drive encourages customers to donate cash and/or non-perishable items at participating stores from coast to coast.
We encourage those who haven’t donated to think about doing so! For the 2023 National Feed More Families Holiday Food Drive Loblaw Companies will also make a corporate match donation of $100,000.00 directly to Food Banks Canada.
Jeff says: “A small act of kindness can make a big difference to those in need. We see this time and again – a toonie, a can of soup, or some cash turns into thousands of dollars and pallets of food, helping our local food banks support vulnerable people in our communities.”
Donations from this season’s food drive will support our enterprise commitment to Feed More Families by providing 1 billion pounds of food to charities by 2028.
