A&W franchises around the country will be participating in the Mealshare charity in 2021. Photo: Evan Taylor
A food charity that started on Canada’s west coast is going nationwide with help from its new partner A&W.
Mealshare based in Victoria, B.C. has been operating for eight years by partnering with restaurants that make a donation when a Mealshare item is purchased.
Restaurants select the items designated as Mealshare items and on Mealshare Mondays when you purchase the designated items a donation is made by A&W that will go towards providing a meal to youth in need.
A&W Marketing Vice President Tom Newitt says in addition to Mealshare Monday they will be doing a promotion called Make it a Mealshare, “With this program, guests can come in and order anything from our menu, and then for one dollar they can make it a Mealshare item, which leads to a meal being provided for local youth.”
“The pandemic has shined a light on the issue of food insecurity in this country, and although it’s been a tough time for restaurants we know some individuals out there are struggling to eat, hence why we formed this partnership,” said Newitt.
When looking for a charity partner A&W was looking for an organization that focused on helping local communities, which Mealshare does.
Vice President of Mealshare, Derek Juno says that 80 percent of donations made from Mealshare go to local organizations helping combat youth food insecurity.
Juno says, “We have an amazing network of franchisees and we understand it’s important for them that the charity we support offer help to the communities they serve.”
The promotion is being offered at all A&W locations nationwide, with the program hoping to provide 1.25 million meals this year.
