Continuing with our culture of giving back, RE Royalties is pleased to share that we have donated $25,000 to the Richmond Food Bank Society, a not-for-profit organization that provides food assistance, advocacy and related support to individuals in need within the Richmond community.
Our corporate donation will be supporting the School Meal Program, which aims at providing nutritious meals and snacks to Richmond students who attend school hungry. Kids and teens need nutritious food to grow, be healthy, and to effectively learn at school. Yet, too many Richmond students are attending school on an empty stomach. Hunger usually manifests itself in hyperactivity, anxiety or aggression which hinders optimal learning.
To address the issue of students coming to school hungry, the Richmond Food Bank Society partnered with the Richmond School District and piloted a school meal program in 2015 at a local Secondary school. Building on the success of this pilot, the School Meal Program was supporting a total of 11 schools with healthy meals and snacks.
In total, the Richmond Food Bank served more than 8250 meals during the 8 weeks prior to March 2020. Many of the programs were adapted after March 2020 in response to the pandemic, switching to a take-away meal, pre-packed snacks or grocery hamper delivery.
The Richmond Food Bank Society saw a 49% increase in households accessing grocery assistance services which was a direct effect of the Covid-19 pandemic. Many families who were employed within the retail, hospitality or the tourism industry lost their employment and were struggling to put food on the table.
Each month over 2300 individuals are served through the Richmond Food Bank’s grocery distribution, home delivery and the school meal programs. About 27% of the people served at the Richmond Food Bank are children. To learn more about the food bank and its programs please visit their website or any of their social media platforms.
Giving back, in the form of volunteering, donating to charitable causes, or attending community-led charitable events, is an integral part of the culture at RE Royalties. We believe in using our strong business model to support organizations with a cause that resonates with us. We are sowing the seeds for a brighter tomorrow by supporting the youngest members in our community so they can thrive at school.