Walmart Canada raising funds for food banks

February 25, 2020, Mississauga, Ont. – Walmart Canada has kicked off its annual national Fight Hunger Spark Change campaign to raise awareness about the food security crisis across the country and raise enough funds to provide 15 million meals for Canadians in need through Food Banks Canada.

The company said in a statement that no family should have to feel uncertain about when their next meal will be. Yet, one in eight Canadian households has experienced food insecurity in the past year. This means that 12 per cent of Canadian families are without reliable access to sufficient, affordable, nutritious food due to lack of money.

To raise awareness and help keep Canadian families fed, Walmart’s campaign runs until March 18. Customers are invited to join Walmart and its supplier partners in the fight against hunger in four ways:

• Food donation drop-off: Walmart stores across the country are accepting non-perishable food donations for local food banks. Donation bins can be found at the front of each store.
• Donate in-store: Customers are given the opportunity to round up their purchase at the register to the nearest dollar to support the campaign. All donations made in-store, by customers, will support local food banks.
• Donate online: Customers can make a $1, $2 or $5 donation online at Walmart.ca.
• Purchase participating products: For every purchase (in-store and online at walmart.ca) of select products, participating brands will donate a portion of the proceeds to Food Banks Canada, up to a maximum of $1.2 million. Partners include: Bimbo Canada, Danone, Dare Foods, General Mills, Hershey, Kellogg’s, Kraft Heinz, Maple Leaf Foods, Mars Canada Inc., McCormick Canada, Mondelez, Nestle, Pepsi Canada and Unilever.

“No one should have to go hungry and Walmart Canada is committed to working with our generous customers, our supplier partners and Food Banks Canada to support the fight against hunger,” said Haio Barbeito, president and CEO of Walmart Canada. “In the three years we have run the Fight Hunger Spark Change campaign, we have helped to provide 35 million meals in local communities across the country to help fight food insecurity.”

Walmart is also committing a $1-million donation to the campaign which includes:

• A corporate match of in-store customer donations, up to a maximum of $820,000.
• $100,000 to Food Banks Canada’s retail food program, which allows food banks to pick up food donations from any retail location.
• $80,000 to support Food Banks Canada’s National Food Sharing System, which helps to acquire and share approximately 28 million pounds of food annually.

“Food insecurity across Canada is a continuing issue, with over a million visits to food banks per month last year,” said Chris Hatch, chief executive officer of Food Banks Canada. “We remain committed in our vision of a Canada where no one goes hungry by providing food for those in need.

“Walmart Canada has been a valued partner of hunger relief through campaigns such as Fight Hunger Spark Change and we are encouraged to see Canadians joining the cause through donations of their own.”

Since the campaign launched in 2017, Walmart Canada has raised 35 million meals for Canadians coast-to-coast, building on the more than 25 million pounds of food and $10.5 million Walmart has donated to food banks across the country over many years.

Walmart Canada operates a chain of more than 400 stores nationwide serving 1.5 million customers each day.

Click here to donate to the campaign.