World Food Day took place on October 16 and in honour of that, Mealshare decided to do their part to help rally Canadians to come together to take action by helping to fight youth hunger in local communities.
In a news release, Mealshare stated that, “In Canada, nearly 1 in 5 children are food insecure. That is over 1.15 million kids. Yes, this is a high number, but there are numerous simple ways that each of us can give back and lower this statistic.”
Mealshare, which was launched in 2013 across Canada, offers a simple and innovative “Buy One, Give One” program for restaurants. When customers purchase a Mealshare item, a meal is provided to a youth in need through Mealshare’s network of charity partners. Currently, Mealshare has created partnerships with over 250 restaurants in more than 450 Canadian communities and provided over 4.9 million meals to youth in need.
With Mealshare a restaurant includes a Mealshare logo beside specific items on their menu and when a guest orders these items, they receive their meal as normal; and one simple healthy meal will also be provided to a youth in need.
Locally, Mealshare already has a partnership in place with A&W and in honour of World Food Day, they announced their newest collaboration with Leopold’s Tavern in 16 locations, and MR MIKES Steakhouse Casual at 45 locations. “Mealshare partners with local charities in every community they are in and supports youth charities that go above and beyond food programs; offering additional resources and programs for holistic development,” the news release stated.
At MR MIKES, customers can turn any option on the menu into a Mealshare item by asking their servers to Make it a Mealshare and $1.00 will be added to their bill to provide a meal. Leopold’s Tavern will be doing something similar but will be showcasing their Mealshare menu item on their Poutine of the Week.
“Hunger is not just an issue in faraway places. It is happening right here in Canada and can make anyone experiencing it feel very vulnerable – especially children. Having well known restaurant groups like MR MIKES and Leopold’s Tavern join our program allows us to have even more of an impact on kids in smaller communities across Canada,” Derek Juno, Executive Vice President of Mealshare, stated.
Between the Martensville and Warman MR MIKES and Leopold’s Tavern, Mealshare is hoping to share over 4000 meals per year that will help support the Warman Food Bank to provide meals to those in need within the local area.