TORONTO, Aug. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Starting August 19 th , 2018, the public can help support the Ontario Association of Food Banks by making a donation at any of the more than 660 LCBO stores throughout Ontario. Donation boxes for the Ontario Association of Food Banks will be displayed at LCBO checkout counters until September 15 th , 2018, enabling customers to ‘feed the change’ with their change.

The Ontario Association of Food Banks is a province-wide network of 130 direct member food banks and over 1,100 affiliate hunger-relief agencies, inclusive of: breakfast clubs, school meal programs, community food centres, emergency shelters, and community kitchens. By supporting the Ontario Association of Food Banks through the LCBO donation boxes, you will be helping over 499,000 adults, children, and seniors living with hunger access fresh, healthy food and programming. For every $1 donated, the Ontario Association of Food Banks can provide the equivalent of 3 meals to someone in need. 

“On behalf of the Ontario Association of Food Banks and those we serve, we would like to sincerely thank the LCBO and its generous customers for supporting our organization in its work to address hunger in our province,” said Carolyn Stewart, Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Food Banks. “Your support will go a long way in helping us to ensure that adults and families living with hunger have access to the nutritious food that they need to not only survive, but thrive in their daily lives.”

“The LCBO is proud to partner with the Ontario Associations of Food Banks an organization dedicated to bringing Ontarians together to end food insecurity in our province,” says LCBO Vice President, Communications & Corporate Affairs Jennifer Bell. “Through the generosity of LCBO customers and the support of our staff, we are able to support a variety of causes and make a difference in communities across Ontario.”

The Ontario Association of Food Banks is one of 27 provincial and numerous local charities that will benefit from LCBO’s province-wide donation box program in 2018. In fiscal 2016 -17, LCBO raised a total of more than $13.3 million for charities through in-store fundraising, special programs and initiatives. In addition, LCBO’s annual dividend transfer to the Ontario government, which totaled $2.06 billion in fiscal year 2016-17 ending March 31, 2017, excluding taxes, supports a wide range of important government programs, services and priorities, including health care and education.

The Ontario Association of Food Banks thanks the public for its support when shopping at their local LCBO store from August 19 th – September 15 th , 2018.

Customers can continue to support the Ontario Association of Food Banks at their local LCBO store throughout September and the Thanksgiving period through the purchase of Flat Rock Cellar’s Good Kharma Chardonnay. The 2016 Good Kharma vintage label, released in LCBO Vintages section on the final day of the campaign with the Ontario Association of Food Banks, September 15, 2018, will once again be sold in support of local food banks.

Media Contacts:

Amanda King Director, Communications & Research Ontario Association of Food Banks amanda@oafb.ca , 416-656-4100 x2932

LCBO Press Office 416-864-6700 pressoffice@lcbo.com