OLDS — Residents and staff in the Seasons Olds and Seasons Olds Encore facilities donated more than 281 canned goods to the Mountain View Food Bank Society during the company’s annual One Can Make a Difference campaign.
As a result, a big cheque for $2,100 was displayed.
The company-wide campaign, held July 1-12 challenged staff and residents in its facilities, located in Alberta and Ontario, to collect the most canned and non-perishable food items for their local food bank.
Last year, Seasons Olds and Olds Encore collected a total of 697 cans.
Company-wide, the goal this year was to collect a total of 7,000 cans. In the end, 9,543 cans were collected. The company says 3,167 more cans were collected this year, compared to 2023.
"The dedication of our residents during this year's One Can Make a Difference' challenge is truly inspiring, especially during these challenging times when many Canadians face food insecurity," Seasons Olds general manager Liberty Poon is quoted as saying in a news release.
According to Food Banks Canada, 1.9 million visits were reported as of March 2023, up a record-breaking 32.1 per cent from the previous year and 78.5 per cent compared to March, 2019.
As of 2023, Statistics Canada reported Alberta had a food insecurity rate of 21.8 per cent. Ontario had a rate of 19.2 per cent.
Since 2016, Seasons Retirement Communities has partnered with local food banks for its corporate giving initiatives. To date, they have donated more than $300,000 in funds and food to local food banks.
