Ottawa, Ontario May 17, 2016 – With the help of the Shaw Centre, Pharmasave has made a generous donation to the Ottawa Food Bank and Cornerstone, a community organization dedicated to improving the lives of homeless women. As part of the Leave a Legacy Program launched earlier this year, Shaw Centre employees packaged up the equivalent of a 27-foot (8.2 metres) truck of household products, clothing, personal hygiene and toiletry items at the end of Pharmasave’s 2016 National Conference and Buying Show.
“While organizations that hold events at the Shaw Centre are under no obligation to participate in our new Leave a Legacy Program, most are quite impressed when we explain it to them,” says the Centre’s president, Nina Kressler. “Companies are often looking for different ways to give back to the community and are delighted to learn that we can facilitate the donation of useable items to the local charities of their choice.”
“Our National Conference and Buying Show offered a chance for Pharmasave’s community drugstore owners and staff to connect and forge stronger business relationships with both peers and suppliers. We enjoyed celebrating Pharmasave’s 35th Anniversary as Canada’s Community Pharmacy in the beautiful Nation’s Capital, and at the same time, were able to explore and enjoy what Ottawa has to offer. Being able to make a positive impact in Ottawa at the conclusion of our event is something everyone at Pharmasave feels really good about,” notes Steve Thompson, National Director, Merchandising. “Giving back to the community is core to Pharmasave so this donation is a perfect fit for us.”
Several other significant donations have already taken place in 2016 as a result of the Centre’s Leave a Legacy Program, including the distribution of over 100,000 pounds of perishable and non-perishable food to the Ottawa and Gatineau Food Banks at the end of the Loblaw national conference. After the Ottawa-Gatineau International Auto show, almost 20,000 square metres of gently-used carpeting was donated to the Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa ReStore.
“With one emergency shelter and three housing facilities, generous donations from the community are extremely helpful. A contribution of this magnitude is very meaningful as we work to develop new opportunities for women take hold of their futures”, adds Sue Garvey, Executive Director. “Personal hygiene and toiletry items are always needed and very much appreciated by our residents. We are all grateful for Pharmasave’s generosity and the kindness of the Shaw Centre volunteers who made this donation possible.”
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About Shaw Centre
The Shaw Centre was founded as the Ottawa Congress Centre in 1983. With project funding from the Province of Ontario, the City of Ottawa and the Government of Canada, the Ottawa Congress Centre was redeveloped into a new larger facility, which opened in April 2011 as the Ottawa Convention Centre (OCC). In October 2014, the OCC and Shaw Communications entered into a 10 year partnership, rebranding the facility as the Shaw Centre. The Shaw Centre is a state-of-the-art convention centre that generates economic impact by hosting conventions, trade shows, meetings, consumer shows and events. The Shaw Centre was recently named runner-up as the world’s best convention centre by the International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC). Since opening our doors in 2011, the Shaw Centre has hosted over 2000 events and has added approximately $300M to the Ottawa-Gatineau area and Province of Ontario. The Ottawa Convention Centre® Corporation is an agency of the Government of Ontario.
For additional information, please contact:
Sylvie Carbonneau
Director of Marketing and Communications
Centre Shaw Centre 613.688.8220
scarbonneau@rogers-centre.ca
