Heritage Co-op donates $14,000 to local food banks

September, 2018 — Heritage Co-op members and customers recently helped the organization make a $14,000 community donation.

The funds were raised as part of Fuel Good Day on Sept. 18. During the day, 10 cents from every litre of fuel purchased at Heritage Co-op Gas Bars in Minnedosa, Brandon, Erickson and Wawanesa were donated to local food banks in each of these communities (Minnedosa Food Bank, Samaritan House, Helping Hands, Wawanesa Food Bank, Southquill Food Bank).

“At Heritage Co-op, we’re committed to giving back and investing in the communities we serve, and Fuel Good Day is a way that we can do that on a large scale,” said Lorne Zacharias, General Manager of Heritage Co-op.

“Through initiatives like this, Heritage Co-op, along with our members and customers, are supporting great local causes that make our community stronger – it’s the Co-op way.”

Adding to the fun, Heritage Co-op invited local ‘celebrities’ – business owners, politicians, radio personalities, and others with an involved community presence – to come out to the pumps on September 18 to greet customers and wash windshields.

“The participation and enthusiasm we saw from everyone – from these volunteers, to our staff, to every customer who rolled through the pumps – was outstanding,” said Heritage Co-op’s Petroleum Division Manager, Barry Cooper. “The great atmosphere that day was made even better by the fact that Heritage Co-op now gets to donate to these deserving local food banks.”

Heritage Co-op will present the resulting donations to each of the five receiving food banks during Co-op Week, October 14-20.

Donations across Western Canada

This year, Heritage Co-op was proud to join more than 400 Co-op Gas Bars throughout Western Canada in participating in Fuel Good Day, with each supporting a local charitable or non-profit organization or initiative.

Last year, Co-op locations across Western Canada donated over $570,000 from Fuel Good Day. The total result from across Western Canada for 2018 will be released in early October.