Donate today! Young workers launch food bank gift card challenge

Young workers across Canada are turning controversy into opportunity by donating free Loblaw gift cards to charity.

Loblaw recently admitted to fixing the price of bread at stores across the country for more than a decade, and the company announced it would offer $25 gift cards to all customers as an apology.

PSAC’s Regional Young Worker Committees are shifting the price-fixing scandal into a way to help Canadians in need.

They’re challenging all PSAC members to collect gift cards in their regions to see who can raise the most funds in support of their local food banks.

The challenge is easy:

1. Apply online for your $25 Loblaw gift card by the deadline of May 8, 2018
2. Make sure you don’t sign the back of the gift card!
3. Deliver the card to a PSAC regional office or PSAC committee in your region
4. Then your Young Worker committee will reach out to you to take a photo with all the generous donors in your community
5. The gift cards will be delivered to your community food bank and your photos will be posted on social media with the hashtag #SayNoToHunger
6. PSAC will tally all of your donations and post your photos to our national website and social media

It’s important to remember that food banks can do even more with cash donations than canned goods because it allows them to buy food in bulk straight from wholesalers, so don’t forget to donate regularly to your local food bank.

Far too many people are forced to choose between buying groceries for their family or paying their rent. Every month, hundreds of thousands of Canadians would go hungry if it weren’t for the support of their local food bank. Across the country, food banks have been helping more than 850,000 people per year – and the number of Canadians who rely on food banks continues to grow.

Food banks are largely volunteer-run and rely on the generosity of their communities to remain sustainable. Taking part in the food bank gift card challenge can go a long way towards putting food on the table for families in your community.

Beyond donating to your local food bank, there’s a lot more Canadians can do to reduce hunger and poverty, including developing a national poverty reduction strategy, providing a basic livable income to all Canadians, and creating a stronger social security net.

Learn more about food insecurity and how we can reduce poverty from Food Banks Canada.