Second Harvest, Sobeys and BMO Launch Harvest for Hunger

TORONTO, Sept. 13 /CNW/ - Second Harvest, a charitable organization that rescues and delivers fresh food to social service agencies in Toronto, is gearing up for a new fundraising campaign. Harvest for Hunger will begin tomorrow September 14th in TTC subway stations and will continue in Sobeys stores from October 1st-8th.

"40% of Second Harvest food recipients are children and youth. One of our high demand periods for food is in the Fall during back to school season. Our agencies see an increase in demand for protein and at the same time our protein donations tend to dip. The Harvest for Hunger campaign will help provide much needed protein to those in need. We are grateful to Sobeys and BMO for their support at this crucial time," says Stephen Faul, Executive Director of Second Harvest.

Torontonians can help feed those who are hungry by:

Watching out for Second Harvest volunteers in TTC stations at Yonge & Bloor, Union and St. Andrew on Tuesday, September 14th and contributing to donation cans. Second Harvest's goal is to raise $15,000 in just a few short hours. A donation of $5 will help provide 10 healthy meals to hungry Torontonians.

Shopping at Sobeys from October 1st-8th. During this week, Sobeys shoppers will be asked to purchase a $5 Harvest for Hunger donation slip at the check out. Sobeys will match donations up to $10,000.

Mary Dalimonte, General Manager, Sobeys Urban Fresh says, "Sobeys Urban Fresh is proud to be supporting Second Harvest during a time when there is a high demand for food in the city. Our shoppers have historically been great supporters of Second Harvest and we know we can count on them again during this time of need."

Apply for a BMO Club Sobeys MasterCard. For every customer who applies for the new No Fee BMO Club Sobeys MasterCard in select Toronto stores or online, BMO will donate $10 to Second Harvest to help cover the cost of collecting and delivering food.

"BMO is thrilled to be the financial sponsor of Harvest for Hunger. Second Harvest's work makes a huge impact on the Toronto community and BMO is proud to be a part of helping feed those who are hungry in our city," says Alexandra Dousmanis-Curtis, Senior Vice President, Personal & Commercial Banking, GTA Division, BMO Bank of Montreal.

    
    Sobeys Locations
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    -  Front Street (Urban Fresh), 197 Front Street East
    -  Laird & Wicksteed (Urban Fresh), 147 Laird Drive
    -  Queen's Quay (Urban Fresh), 207 Queen's Quay
    -  Queensway, 125 The Queensway
    -  St. Clair (Urban Fresh), 81 St. Clair Avenue East
    -  Yonge & Balliol (Urban Fresh), 22 Balliol Street
    -  Bloor/Bathurst Street (Urban Fresh), 503 Bloor Street West
    -  Danforth (Urban Fresh), 2451 Danforth Avenue East
    -  Dupont (Urban Fresh), 840 Dupont Street
    -  High Park (Urban Fresh), 199 Roncesvalles Avenue
    -  Kipling, 1255 The Queensway
    -  Mount Pleasant (Urban Fresh), 710 Mount Pleasant Road
    -  Rosebury Square (Urban Fresh), 145 Marlee Avenue
    -  Spadina (Urban Fresh), 22 Fort York Blvd
    -  Todmorden (Urban Fresh), 1015 Broadview Avenue
    -  Yonge Street (Urban Fresh), 530 Yonge Street
    

Volunteering! Second Harvest needs volunteers to help out in the subways on September 14th and in Sobeys stores October 1st-8th. To volunteer for the campaign please contact Nicole Light, Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected] or call 416.408.2594.

Second Harvest is very grateful to in-kind Media Sponsor National Post for promoting Harvest for Hunger. To learn more about Harvest for Hunger or to make a donation, please visit www.secondharvest.ca.

About Second Harvest

Second Harvest is a charitable organization that takes a common-sense approach to hunger. For the past twenty-five years Second Harvest has been picking up donated, perishable food, which would otherwise go to waste, and delivering that food to over 200 social service agencies in Toronto. Recognized for efficiency and impact of services, independent research group Charity Intelligence Canada named Second Harvest a Ci Recommended Charity in 2009. The organization recently received a 'Grade A' from MoneySense magazine.

About Sobeys Inc.

Sobeys Inc. is a leading national grocery retailer and food distributor headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Empire Company Limited (TSX:EMP.A), Sobeys owns or franchises more than 1,300 stores in all 10 provinces under retail banners that include Sobeys, IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, Price Chopper, Thrifty Foods, as well as Lawtons Drug Stores. Sobeys Inc. is committed to providing the most worthwhile experience for its customers, employees, franchisees, suppliers and shareholders. More information on Sobeys Inc. can be found at www.sobeyscorporate.com.

About BMO

Established in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group is a highly diversified North American financial services organization. With total assets of $397 billion as at July 31, 2010, and more than 38,000 employees, BMO provides a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and solutions. In 2009, BMO contributed $47.2 million in corporate donations, sponsorships and events, supporting communities and thousands of charities and not-for-profit organizations across Canada.

For further information: on Second Harvest or to speak with a spokesperson, please contact: Tonia Krauser, Manager of Communications, Second Harvest, 416.625.6774, [email protected]; Tracy Chisholm, Director, Communications and Corporate Affairs, Sobeys Ontario, 905.671.5308, [email protected]; Ralph Marranca, BMO Bank of Montreal, Toronto, 416.867.3996, [email protected]