Mississauga, ON, April 21, 2022 – Food Banks Canada is very excited to announce Walmart Canada’s 6th annual Fight Hunger. Spark Change national fundraising campaign in support of food banks across the country, contributed $6.8 million, the equivalent of 13.5 million meals to help feed families and individuals from coast to coast to coast. Walmart Canada matched customer donations up to $820,000 and provided an additional $180,000 for a total corporate donation of $1 million.
“Our HungerCount 2021 report outlines the long-term trend of an increasing number of single-person households, people with disabilities, and seniors needed help from food banks to get by. With the rising costs of gas, housing, and food, this demand continues to escalate, and Food Banks Canada relies on their long-standing partnerships even more. Walmart Canada is a dedicated partner that continues to support our vision of a Canada where no one goes hungry.” Kirstin Beardsley, Chief Executive Officer – Food Banks Canada
Canadians were invited to contribute to this year’s campaign by adding a cash donation to their in-store and online grocery purchases, by purchasing products from participating brands: Campbell's, Mars Canada, KraftHeinz, Kellogg’s, Conagra, Danone, Maple Leaf, General Mills, Dare Foods Ltd., PepsiCo, Mondelez, Ferrero Canada Ltd., Coca Cola, Unilever and Grupo Bimbo - and donating non-perishable food items in-store at their local Walmart store.
Food Banks Canada supports a unique network of over 4,700 food-related organizations and agencies in every province and territory that assists Canadians making 1.3 million visits to food banks each month.
Every Walmart store across Canada is paired with a local food bank in their community. All funds raised stay local and quality food reaches those who need it most.
The provincial breakdown of meals is as follows:
Alberta 1,810,000
British Columbia 1,625,000
Manitoba 530,000
New Brunswick 310,000
Newfoundland 245,000
Nova Scotia 450,000
Northwest Territories 46,000
Ontario 3,965,000
PEI 48,000
Quebec 1,115,000
Saskatchewan 439,000
Yukon 20,000
“We are thrilled with the success of our 2022 Fight Hunger. Spark Change campaign in support of Food Banks Canada,” said Horacio Barbeito, president and CEO, Walmart Canada. “As we strive to become a regenerative company, we take our responsibility to give back very seriously and take great pride in creating strong communities. We are grateful to our associates, suppliers and customers who once again rallied together to help keep communities fed and provide an astounding 13.5 million meals across the country.”
Since the Fight Hunger. Spark Change campaign launched in 2017, Walmart Canada has raised 70 million meals for Canadians coast-to-coast, building on the more than 30 million pounds of food Walmart has donated to food banks across the country over many years.
About Food Banks Canada
Food Banks Canada provides national leadership to relieve hunger today and prevent hunger tomorrow in collaboration with the food bank network from coast-to-coast-to-coast. For 40 years, food banks have been dedicated to helping Canadians living with food insecurity. Over 4,700 food banks and community agencies come together to serve our most vulnerable neighbours who – last year – made 1.3 million visits to these organizations in one month alone, according to our HungerCount report. Over the past 10 years, as a system we’ve sourced and shared over 1.4 billion pounds of food and Food Banks Canada shared nearly $168 million in funding to help maximize collective impact and strengthen local capacity – while advocating for reducing the need for food banks. Our vision is clear: create a Canada where no one goes hungry. Visit http://www.foodbankscanada.ca/ to learn more or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
About Walmart Canada
Walmart Canada operates a chain of more than 400 stores nationwide serving 1.5 million customers each day. Walmart Canada's flagship online store, Walmart.ca, is visited by more than 1.5 million customers daily. With more than 100,000 associates, Walmart is one of Canada's largest employers, a top diversity employer and is ranked one of the country's top 10 most influential brands. Walmart Canada was recently recognized as a LinkedIn Top Company of 2021 and was also named one of Canada’s most popular brands (based on Google searches). Walmart Canada has made a commitment to regeneration – focusing on equitable opportunity, sustainability, community, ethics and integrity. Since 1994, Walmart Canada has raised over $500 million to support communities across Canada. Additional information can be found at walmartcanada.ca and on Walmart Canada’s social media pages – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
