Thrifty celebrates 25th anniversary of its Sendial program

Thrifty Foods President Jim Dores joined more than 300 Thrifty Foods Sendial volunteers to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Sendial program at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria on Monday.

Sendial is a volunteer program dedicated to helping individuals in our communities who are unable to shop for themselves.

Five Sendial volunteers, 25 year veterans of the grocery delivery program, were on hand to receive a special pin in recognition of their years of service.

Dores is so impressed with the grocer's Sendial program that he's recommending parent company Sobeys start the services at its stores across Canada.


"I was talking to my dad last night in Ontario and telling him about Sendial and he said 'Why can't we have that here?' " said Thrifty Foods president Jim Dores in a Times Colonist report.

The program was founded by Prue Cunningham in the James Bay Thrifty Foods store, and has grown to include all 27 Thrifty Foods stores and now has 600 volunteers who fill more than 1,000 orders a week.

The originals honoured at the luncheon were: Lorraine Harrington, Norma Lewis and Norma Wilson, Fairfield store; Birnie Braithwaite, Mill Bay store; and Ted Dever, Colwood store.

Volunteers take orders over the phone and shop for groceries with Thrifty Foods delivering the same day for a $5.

Seniors account for most of the orders, but others use the service as well, including the sick, infirm and busy mothers.