Making a Difference Together: Harvest Manitoba Food Drive and Volunteer Day

Winnipeg, MB – Qualico’s Winnipeg Regional Office, with the support of the Sage Creek Residents Association, donated more than $12,000 to Harvest Manitoba last month through their food drive initiative.

Over the span of three weeks, 217 lbs of food (approximately $696.57 of monetary value) was donated, and another $1,778.40 was collected through online donations. As an added boost, Qualico’s Winnipeg Regional Office contributed $10,000 to bring the grand total to $12,474.97.

‘’After putting together this food drive on short notice, I was extremely impressed by the outcome,” said Korri Pedro, Social Committee Chair, Land Contract Administrator, Qualico Communities Winnipeg. “It is amazing to see the generosity of not only Qualico employees but also the residents of Sage Creek.

The donation will go towards helping Harvest Manitoba in their mission to deliver healthy and nutritious food to hungry Manitobans.

Joanne Patenaude, Senior Manager of Development, Harvest Manitoba, quickly acknowledged the time and energy put forward by employees to help make the food drive a success.

‘’I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Qualico team for hosting a successful food drive,” said Joanne. “We are incredibly grateful for your partnership and look forward to continuing to work together to create a world where no one goes hungry.”

Supporting organizations like Harvest Manitoba also ties back into Qualico’s commitment to corporate responsibility, especially when it comes to supporting organizations that help people at each point of the poverty cycle.

David Eggerman, Regional Vice-President, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, reiterated the region’s commitment to the food drive.

"We are committed to transforming this initiative into an annual tradition,” said David, “making November a month of giving back to the community and fostering a sense of unity and charitable spirit in Sage Creek, where our office proudly stands."

In addition to the food drive, employees from Kensington Homes and Foxridge Homes Winnipeg spent an afternoon at Harvest Manitoba in early December as part of their Qualico Volunteer Day.

“I first nominated Harvest Manitoba for a Qualico Acts of Kindness donation because there is so much need this year for people to afford to feed their families with the rising cost of food,” said Colleen Chaput, Marketing Manager, Kensington Homes and Foxridge Homes Winnipeg. “I have volunteered for Harvest Manitoba at a few of my former workplaces with colleagues and thought it would be a great idea for my team to volunteer at Harvest Manitoba in addition to receiving an Acts of Kindness donation.”

Together, this group rolled up their sleeves within Harvest Manitoba’s quality control area, where they opened new boxes of donations to make sure products weren’t expired or damaged, and sorted donated food items in bins to later be used for hampers.

Thank you to all Qualico employees who participated in donating non-perishable food items during the November food drive in support of an important cause.