iA Financial Group Congratulates the Winners of the Annual Philanthropic Contest

iA Financial Group extends our congratulations to the charitable organizations Maison Lémerveil Suzanne Vachon in Quebec City (Quebec), the Table Soup Kitchen Foundation in Huntsville (Ontario), the Food Stash Foundation in Vancouver (British Columbia) and the Alzheimer Society (New Brunswick), that have each been awarded a grand prize donation of $105,000 in this 6th edition of our annual philanthropic contest. As competition was very tight, iA Financial Group will double the donation to the eight finalists by awarding them $20,000 each. In total, $580,000 in donations will be given to 12 Canadian charities.

“On behalf of iA Financial Group, I am proud and honoured to announce these major donations to charities that serve many Canadian communities. Each of these charities help people with disabilities, making a real difference in their lives. I want to thank the organizations that took part in the contest and congratulate the winners for their tremendous work. I also thank everyone who took the time to vote. Our annual philanthropic contest will be back next year, and I will once again invite Canadian charities to participate in large numbers.”, states Denis Ricard, President and CEO of iA Financial Group.

Remember that the winning charities are those that received the most votes from the Canadian public from among the twelve contest finalists. They each received a donation of $100,000. In addition to the $100,000 awarded to the winning organizations, iA Financial Group donated an additional $5,000 on behalf of its employees, who were called on to vote for their favourite projects from each region.

WINNING CHARITIES (from west to east)

• FOOD STASH FOUNDATION (VANCOUVER, B.C.)
  Food Stash reduces food waste and food insecurity. We rescue over 80,000 pounds of surplus food per month (for example, imperfect produce and surplus dairy) from retailers, wholesalers, and farms. Food Stash delivers weekly customized boxes of healthy food to 110 food-insecure households with chronic illnesses and/or disabilities. It runs a “pay-what-you-feel” Rescued Food Market open to all, serving more than 100 people a week. It delivers food to 35 charitable partners collectively serving more than 14,000 people a week. A donation would go towards Rescued Food Box deliveries supporting food-insecure Vancouverites with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses that make it challenging to leave home.
• TABLE SOUP KITCHEN FOUNDATION (HUNTSVILLE, ONT.)
  The Table Soup Kitchen Foundation’s mission is to serve the hurting, hungry, and homeless people in its community who are dealing with food insecurity, illness, disabilities, addictions, and chronic unemployment. It provides a weekly Food Bank, Soup Kitchen, Exchange Clothing and Household items store, and a Men’s Shelter. A donation would enable the Foundation to carry out work to make its establishment more accessible to people with reduced mobility.
• MAISON LÉMERVEIL SUZANNE VACHON (QUEBEC CITY, QUE.)
  Maison Lémerveil Suzanne Vachon provides youths living with multiple disabilities and children with severe illnesses with respite care and pediatric palliative care throughout their life. A donation would help provide more specialized daytime respite and tailored activities for children with severe illnesses and youths with multiple and severe disabilities. The cash donation would also be used to support families so that members can pursue their professional life and take a well-deserved rest.
• ALZHEIMER SOCIETY (FREDERICTON, N.B.)
  The Alzheimer Society’s mission is to alleviate the personal and social consequences of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias through the provision of support, education, and advocacy and to promote the search for a cause and a cure. A donation would go towards creating dementia-friendly communities in New Brunswick, places where people living with dementia, their families, and care partners feel included and supported.

THE OTHER FINALISTS
The eight remaining finalists will each receive $20,000: the CNIB Foundation in Edmonton (ALTA.), the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation (CRF) in Winnipeg (MAN.), Hydrocephalus Canada (HC) in Etobicoke (ONT.), March of Dimes Canada (MODC) in Toronto (ONT.), the Association québécoise des personnes aphasiques (AQPA) in Montreal (QUE.), L’Arche Lanaudière in Joliette (QUE.), Upper Valley Autism Resource Centre Inc. in Perth-Andover (N.B.) and LakeCity Works in Darmouth (N.S.).

Remember that over 200 charities that support people with disabilities* and their communities answered iA Financial Group’s call last September. A jury analyzed all the projects we received from across the country, and selected twelve finalists, which were submitted to the public vote. Participating charities were grouped into four major regions (Western Canada, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada/the North) in order to guarantee a fairer distribution of donations across the country.