Second annual VetStrategy Give Back Days offers meaningful opportunity to support community initiatives

For a second year, Support Office team members from coast to coast came together to support food banks and social service organizations in their communities in a big way! Volunteer shifts occurred the week of April 15 and 22, and a collective 500+ hours were spent sorting food, packing care boxes, preparing meals and more, to support community members in need.  

In Etobicoke, team members supported the Daily Bread Food Bank, assisting kitchen staff by washing, chopping, and prepping ingredients for the organization’s meal program. In 2022-23, there were over 2.5 million client visits to Daily Bread member food banks, representing a 63% increase compared to the previous year. 

Team members in Montréal supported Fonds d’Aide de l’Ouest-de-l‘Île, helping to empty the boxes from the food truck, sorting fruits and vegetables, placing food items on the shelves, and preparing grocery baskets. Fonds d’Aide de l’Ouest-de-l‘Île distributes 6,300 grocery baskets yearly.  

At the Greater Vancouver Food Bank (GVFB), team members joined the distribution program, which provides one–on–one interactions with food bank clients who benefit from weekly food support. The GVFB supports 16,000 individuals and families with direct food support monthly.  

Many team members in smaller communities without a group shift gave back to their communities by participating in park clean ups on Earth Day, volunteering at a neighbourhood retirement home, or giving back at their local library. 

What our team members had to say
“The team of the West Island Assistance Fund was very welcoming. It was touching to see the stories of the people leading the organization or working there: all of them had benefited from the assistance of the WIAF in the past and were now contributing to the smooth running of the organization. When we don’t have to interact with them, we don’t always realize the scope of food banks. This activity allows us to refocus on the essentials and reflect on what we deem important.” – Valérie Paquet, Senior Corporate Marketing Manager.

“The VetStrategy Give Back Days event is a great way to connect with my community in a way that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with animals.  In St. John’s, we have been able to help support the amazing work of Bridges to Hope, a community food bank.  They have been so appreciative of the help, and it’s been a great opportunity to spend some time with other Support Office team members who are geographically close but who I don’t normally have a day-to-day connection with.  It gives me a wonderful feeling of connection to both VetStrategy and my community.” – Heather Quilty, Talent Acquisition Partner – RVT and Regional Team Captain in St. John’s.