Meridian Employees Rise Up for Communities during Giving Season 2022
Surprise donation of $67K from senior leaders to three charities makes a hat trick
TORONTO, Dec. 23, 2022 /CNW/ - In an especially difficult year for many, Meridian employees rallied round for their communities with a Holiday Food & Toy Drive and doubled down to give more time and money through its Employees Corporate Giving Program. Senior leaders made a surprise donation of $67,000, which is being shared with three charities.
"Meridian has a highly engaged workforce, driven and motivated by a truly giving culture," says Patty Johns, Chief People & Culture Officer, Meridian. "This year has been financially tough for many, but generosity and caring brings comfort and hope. Thanks to all Meridian employees for bringing some warmth to a cold season and extending support to so many charitable organizations who are working so hard to help others in need when they need it the most."
In 2022 through Meridian's award-winning employee giving program, My Commitment to Communities, Meridian employees logged $486,000 in donations unlocking an additional $310,000 in donation matching for a total impact of nearly $800,000.
Meridian capped off our impact with our annual Year End Giving Campaign launched on Giving Tuesday, November 29th. During the campaign, employee donations were double matched and annual matching allowances increased to $2,000 per employee, up from $1,000. The Year End Giving Campaign drove $312,000 of total impact.
This year, more than 580 charitable organizations were supported by Meridian, up from 420 in 2021. These ranged from organizations addressing community mental health to community hunger, housing insecurity to finance confidence, environmental sustainability to the future of urban spaces.
Meridian employees continued to go above and beyond in 2022, providing unparalleled service to our Members/customers while managing increased workloads and navigating through challenging economic times.
In response to inflationary pressures of the current economic environment and to recognize employees for their efforts, contributions, and commitment to Meridian, a one-time recognition payment was issued.
The amount of the recognition payment for Leaders at the Vice President level and above will be donated to three different organizations that support equity-deserving communities and align with Meridian's community priority pillars – access, climate, affordability, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Reconciliation (DEIBR).
$67,000 will be donated amongst the following organizations:
- Good to be Good, a Toronto-based organization supporting women across Ontario who face barriers to financial equity and inclusion.
- Tree Canada's National Greening Program supports reforestation in the areas of greatest need, with priority given to Indigenous land.
- Habitat for Humanity supports affordable housing solutions for barriered communities across Ontario. This donation will be directed to the Indigenous Housing Partnership program.
During November and December all 89 Meridian branches across Ontario collected non-perishable food items and toys to support local food banks. In the spirit of amicable competition, Niagara branches showcased their creative displays of food donations in "Canstruction" with the winner being our Ridley Square Branch in St. Catharines.
This fall Meridian partnered with Kits for a Cause, kickstarting activations at two leadership retreats.
Employees packed over 2,000 personal hygiene and winter essentials kits for distribution by local charities in communities experiencing homelessness.
For more information about how Meridian makes a difference in the communities we serve visit: Community investment and partnerships, Good Neighbour Program, Partnership with Community Food Centres Canada
We acknowledge the land on which we operate is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit.
With more than 75 years of banking history, Meridian is Ontario's largest credit union, and second largest in Canada, helping to grow the lives of our more than 360,000 Members. Meridian has $29.5 billion in assets under management (September 30, 2022) and delivers a full range of financial services online, by phone, by mobile and through a network of 89 branches across Ontario, and business banking services in 15 locations. Meridian cardholders also have access to over 43,000 surcharge-free ABMs in North America with THE EXCHANGE® Network and the Allpoint Network in the US. For more information, please visit: meridiancu.ca, follow us on Twitter @MeridianCU or visit us on Facebook.
SOURCE Meridian Credit Union
Teresa Pagnutti, Public Relations, Meridian, [email protected], 416-275-3816; Jacob Del Zotto, Corporate Communications, Meridian, [email protected], 647-242-8877
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