BC producer groups give back

‘Tis the season of giving, and BC producer groups are doing their part.

During its annual conference at the end of November, the BC Dairy Association announced the contribution of $180,000 in matching funds to the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation for transformative equipment and programs.

The funding is part of $640,000 contributed over the past year to several charities, including Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, Backpack Buddies and BC Agriculture in the Classroom.

And it’s not alone. The good eggs in the poultry sector come together for an annual golf tournament each summer in support of Union Gospel Mission. Organized by egg and turkey farmers, this year’s event raised a record $213,685.

The initiative is on top of BC Eggs own contributions to 4-H BC, Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, Sheway, Easter Seals and Ag for Autism.

BC egg producers have also donated just over 39,000 dozen eggs to Food Banks BC this year, one of several ways producers are making nutritious locally grown food available to those in need.

The fruit sector also diverted thousands of tons of apples to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank this fall with, for which producers received credit through the BC Farmers Food Donation Tax Credit program, which provides a tax credit equivalent to 25% of the retail value of donated product.

This winter, the BC Cattlemen’s Association will contribute $5,000 for beef and other high-need items to BC food banks chosen by Food Banks Canada as part of the Burger It Forward program.
Sponsored by Canada Beef, the program aims to recruit more than 40 community restaurants in BC which will tally sales of burgers made with 100% Canadian beef throughout February. Canada Beef will then donate the equivalent of one meal to Food Banks Canada to a maximum of 20,000 meals nationally.

The event will be followed in March by the annual Make a Difference sale in support of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

Based in Abbotsford, the event raises $400,000 annually in support of efforts to eliminate global hunger.