Building stronger communities: Aviva Canada supporting Canadians affected by food insecurity and advancing D&I initiatives

TORONTO, Nov. 23, 2022 /CNW/ - Ahead of Giving Tuesday on Nov. 29, Aviva Canada is donating $435,000 to support those most affected by recent economic shifts and address diversity and inclusion. Of the donation amount, $200,000 will go to Food Banks Canada while $235,000 will support charitable partnerships that advance diversity, equity and inclusion across the country.

The latest HungerCount report published by Food Banks Canada shows that coast-to-coast usage has risen by 15 per cent from March 2021 with almost 1.5 million visits made to a food bank in March 2022. Aviva's donation will go towards providing nutritious meals to those in need and be evenly distributed amongst Food Banks Canada programs:

• Food for All Initiative, which supports food sharing and transforming surplus food across the country
  
  
• The Northern Initiative, focuses on Northern communities to support and strengthen existing food security organizations and enhance solutions to address food insecurity experienced in underserved areas
  
  
• The local Markham Food Bank and Moisson Montreal, which have seen some of the highest increases in food bank visits this year

The remaining amount of $235,000 will be spread across nine charitable organizations, funding the important work they are doing in diversity and inclusion. These include supporting women and their careers, creating opportunities and facilitating economic development in Indigenous communities and promoting mental health amongst Canadians.  

As an example, to assist in the development of women, $50,000 will go towards the YWCA's Work Forward initiative to support the design and delivery of new training and resource materials for on-the-ground use in the community with women and gender-diverse people, as well as creating space for employers to gain insight into how to design gender-responsive and equitable workplaces.

Jason Storah, Chief Executive Officer, Aviva Canada said: "At Aviva Canada, we're committed to building a stronger and more inclusive Canada – at the workplace and in the communities we live. It's incredible to see our people come together, to live our values of care, commitment and community - whether it's helping vulnerable Canadians during these trying times or advancing D&I initiatives for a better tomorrow."

In addition to the corporate donations, Aviva Canada will be:

• mobilizing to collect food donations across all its offices in support of local food banks
  
  
• triple matching donations made by employees to an eligible cause of choice until the end of year*

In early September, Aviva Canada also donated $100,000 to the Canadian Red Cross to support disaster relief efforts across the eastern provinces impacted by Hurricane Fiona.

About Aviva Canada
Aviva Canada is one of the leading property and casualty insurance groups in the country, providing home, automobile, lifestyle, and business insurance to 2.4 million customers. A subsidiary of UK-based Aviva plc, Aviva Canada has more than 4,000 employees focused on creating a bright and sustainable future for our people, our customers, our communities, and our planet. Launched in 2019, Aviva Canada is investing in safer communities through Aviva Take Back Our Roads, which uses data driven solutions and strategic collaborations to make safer roads a reality for all. In 2021, we announced our plan to become a net zero carbon emissions company by 2040, the most demanding target of any major insurance company in the world.

For more information, visit aviva.ca or Aviva Canada's blog, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

*Subject to Aviva's AvivaGives policy

SOURCE Aviva Canada Inc.

Media Contact: Parveen Singh, PR Specialist, [email protected], 437-221-3492