How a non-profit that sparked on Vancouver Island is using A&W burgers to help fight youth hunger

How a non-profit that sparked on Vancouver Island is using A&W burgers to help fight youth hunger
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The simple purchase of an A&W burger can now help feed a hungry youth thanks to an initiative from a non-profit that sparked on Vancouver Island.

Mealshare — a national social enterprise that was conceived while co-founder Andrew Hall was living in Victoria — has launched a new campaign that is using A&W burgers to help provide meals to youth in need.

The non-profit organization — who says its mission is to help end youth hunger — announced a new program with A&W Canada that every Monday, any time a customer purchases a Cheddar Bacon Uncle Burger Combo, one healthy meal will be provided to a youth in need through Mealshare.

The program will be available at all of A&W’s 1,000 locations across Canada.

Additionally, any day of the week customers can “Make it a Mealshare” by adding $1.00 to their A&W order, equating to one meal for a hungry youth as well.

So who is getting the meals being provided from a customer’s purchase? Mealshare says that 80 per cent of the financial support will stay in the communities where the item was purchased through one of 450 partner charities across Canada, while 20 per cent goes internationally to Save the Children.

Mealshare says the goal is sharing 1,250,000 meals per year to hungry youth through the new initiative with A&W.

“A&W is an amazing organization and a leader in the industry through its many environmental and social initiatives,” says Jeremy Bryant, Co-Founder of Mealshare. “The support of A&W restaurants will make a huge impact for Mealshare and all the youth we support across the entire country.”

Customers are able to participate in the program in-restaurant, through the drive-thru or by using the mobile app.

“No child should ever go hungry, especially in a country like Canada, so we’re thrilled that we can be a part of this initiative,” says Susan Senecal, Chief Executive Officer at A&W Canada.

There are over 20 A&W locations on Vancouver Island that will be participating in the Mealshare program.

Prior to the newly launched initiative, Mealshare has provided nearly four million meals to people in need since the organization’s inception back in 2013.

Outside of the A&W locations, Mealshare has partnered with over 20 local restaurants on Vancouver Island, with initiatives in Victoria, Nanaimo, Duncan, and Courtenay.

The organization says it is “committed to creating a world where it’s easier to share with those in need, and every child and youth is fed as a result.”

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Graham CoxGraham Cox

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