4-H in Western Canada

Save-On-Foods is excited to partner with the 4-H programs in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba to help connect young leaders of tomorrow with 4-H youth clubs in hundreds of communities.

“We are proud to support 4-H in its mission to develop the next generation of Canadian leaders by helping them connect with more of their neighbours in our stores from B.C. to Manitoba,” said Save-On-Foods president Darrell Jones. “Supporting local has always been important to Save-On-Foods, and we are thrilled to help 4-H get its program in urban centres through the support of our stores.”

4-H in Western Canada has hundreds of clubs registered in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, and holds a combined membership of over 13,000 members.

“What a great way to facilitate the engagement and empowerment of our youth members,” stated Aleda Welch, manager of 4-H BC. “Save-On-Foods is committed to supporting local businesses, farmers, and ranchers, and together, we are dedicated to growing the next generation of business and community leaders.”

* image courtesy 4-H Canada

BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation

We are passionate about locally grown food and healthy eating! For this reason, Save-On-Foods has been a long-time partner of BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation’s BC School Fruit and Vegetable  and their Milk programs. With our teamwork, these two programs reach over half a million BC students who can enjoy fresh fruits, vegetables, and milk in their classrooms. Students learn about farming and the foods they eat, fueling food appreciation for years to come. Together, we spread the word to teachers and students about BC’s agriculture and the benefits of healthy eating.

Learn more at www.bcaitc.ca

* image courtesy BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation

Children’s Hospitals

For decades, Save-On-Foods has supported children’s hospitals in B.C. and Alberta, and has donated more than $30 million on behalf of generous team members, customers and supplier partners in the process.

Since Save-On-Foods expanded into Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the company has formed new partnerships with the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation in Saskatoon, Sask., and the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

In more than 30 years of fundraising for children’s hospitals, the company has donated more than $30 million.

Three times a year, Save-On-Foods stores participate in a two-week Round Up for Kids campaign, where customers can round up their bill to the nearest dollar and donate the difference to the children’s hospital in their community. In the latest Round Up for Kids, from March 14-27, 2019, Save- On-Foods raised $388,259—the highest two-week total ever.

In addition to store-driven fundraisers, Save-On-Foods participates in Jeans Day, where those who donate to BC Children’s Hospital can dress casually on a Thursday, and Miracle Weekend, the annual telethon for BC Children’s Hospital that celebrates team members’ contributions to child health throughout the year.

Toonies for Tummies

Toonies for Tummies provides kids healthy breakfasts and mid-morning snacks while at school. Over the past 5 years, our colleagues and store teams have raised over $637,000— that’s over 300,000 meals benefitting hungry children in our communities!

Emergency Response and Disaster Relief

The wildfire season in British Columbia continues to represent some of the most devastating impacts of climate change in our communities. Access to food during an emergency is critical. Over the past decade, Save-on-Foods has grown its capacity and expertise in emergency response and disaster relief and is a proud partner with the Government of British Columbia in their efforts to ensure that everyone has access to groceries when they have lost so much.

When an emergency happens, we first and foremost focus on caring for the communities that are directly affected. During wildfire season, Save-On-Foods acts as the primary food and distribution partner for disaster relief efforts in British Columbia and in other provinces when needed.

Along with various sectors, levels of government and community leaders, some of the work we are committed to include:

• Immediate triage support, followed by long-term support and response efforts to help establish stability and healthy communities
• Food and supply support to first responders
• Food and supply support to displaced families and neighbours through food banks and other relief agencies, sometimes as a distribution partner and other times mobilizing fundraising efforts for this important work

Emergency BC Support Network

Save-On-Foods is a founding partner of Emergency BC Support Network. In this work we develop the necessary skills and best practices to help people better prepare and, when needed, respond to emergencies.

I Can for Kids

We are passionate about caring for child health, nutrition and doing what’s right for our communities. For that reason, Save-On-Foods was I Can for Kids’ first partner, and for the past five years we’ve helped them grow an idea into a thriving organization that feeds thousands of kids in Calgary every summer.

Save-On-Foods is thrilled to assist the I Can for Kids Foundation in their effort to end summer childhood hunger in Calgary. Going hungry shouldn’t be a way of life for kids. I Can for Kids is a way for children and youth to get the nourishment they need to learn, play and grow during the summer months, and set them up for success in the coming school year.

Adam’s Apples Foundation

Adam’s Apples Foundation (AAF) was created to honour the legacy of Adam Hryhorchuk, who passed away from an accidental drug overdose at 22.

Adam struggled with mental health and substance use issues as a teen. At the same time, he had a very special quality: he was genuinely interested in every person he met. Adam gave a hand-up to kids who weren’t in sync with the crowd — he understood the impact of isolation.

What began in 2016 with a single bowl of apples strategically placed in a school to offer students a healthy snack, quickly evolved to become a key gathering place for students to connect, socialize and converse.

This ‘seed’ grew into a comprehensive programming that includes mental health literacy curriculum, developed in partnership with the University of British Columbia, to help students gain mental health knowledge and skills in peer support.

Today, Adam’s Apples Foundation operates in 27 schools and community centres in Burnaby, Delta, Richmond, Surrey, and Vancouver, with demand to expand the program throughout BC.

Since 2019, Save-On-Foods has partnered with AAF to provide 100,000 apples — enough apples for one year for ALL schools.

Food Banks

Since 2018, Save-On-Foods has led the Share It Forward initiative, to raise funds for Western Canadian food banks. The campaign sets aside 25% of net proceeds from every Western Family product sold at Save-On- Foods and PriceSmart Foods for local food banks. A total of $550,000 has been raised since, with the funds donated to the food banks in the communities in which they were raised.

Each year, Save-On-Foods donates approximately $3 million in goods to food banks across Western Canada. Each store collects donations and gives those directly to their local food bank partner on a weekly basis. Team members at the stores also take it upon themselves to run food drives for their neighbours in need, and the donations they collect in these ad-hoc food drives are not even included in the corporately tracked $3 million in annual donations. These efforts include “Christmas in July” campaigns in different communities; Stuff-A Bus campaigns at Edmonton-area stores every year; the Kamloops Food Share program with the regional health authority; North Vancouver’s Harvest Project; and the Campbell’s Help Hunger Disappear campaign, to name a few.

Save-On-Foods collects and disperses approximately $400,000 per year in cash donations to food bank Share programs. These programs convert cash donations into credit for food banks to purchase their most-needed items at Save-On-Foods on a weekly basis. Save-On-Foods has supported Share programs since they began in the early 1990s.