Loblaw commits to donate one billion pounds of food by 2028
Who: Loblaw
What: The grocer has pledged to donate one billion pounds of food to those in need by 2028.
The Feed More Families initiative will include regular awareness and fundraising campaigns for food banks and food recovery agencies, and a concerted effort to pair all stores in the Loblaw network that sell food with a local food charity to reduce food waste.
To kick off the pledge, Loblaw provided five grants totaling $200,000 to food banks across Canada.
On Giving Tuesday (Nov. 29), the company also gave its food charity partners the opportunity to “take over” its PC Optimum platform with a fundraising appeal that saw Canadians donate over $25,000 and over 37 million PC Optimum points to Food Banks Canada and Second Harvest, to go alongside a $350,000 donation from Loblaw ($175,000 to each partner).
The company's grocery stores are currently in the midst of their annual nationwide food drive in support of local food banks, running until Dec/ 24.
Progress against the Feed More Families pledge will be included in the company's annual ESG Report beginning in 2023.
"Our Feed More Families pledge builds from our work to advance social equity and fight climate change – inspired specifically by our progress on community-level food donations and eliminating food waste," said Galen Weston, president and chairman, Loblaw Companies Limited, in a statement. "The commitment to 1 billion pounds will require contributions from across our store network, and will help strengthen the capabilities of food charities at a local level."
Loblaw provides more than $40 million in annual fundraising and financial support for food charities and reclamation agencies like Food Banks Canada, Second Harvest and Les Banques alimentaires du Québec. Additionally, President's Choice Children's Charity is a provider of in-school hunger and nutrition programs, with the goal of feeding one million children annually.
