In the Fall of 2021, the FCR Thriving Neighbourhoods Foundation partnered with Canada’s largest food rescue organization, Second Harvest, in an effort help to combat food insecurity. This philanthropic organization works across the supply chain, from farm to retail, to capture surplus food before it ends up in landfills.

Thanks to the generous donations from our staff and corporate partners, we’re proud to announce our total amount raised is an outstanding $338,000, which will provide 939,168 meals for Canadian families facing food insecurity. These funds will rescue and redistribute over 939,168 pounds of food, and as a result, will prevent over 3.5 million pounds of greenhouse gases from entering our atmosphere – the equivalent of taking 491 cars off the road this entire year. 

The FCR Thriving Neighbourhoods Foundation is an employee-led organization that supports registered charities and philanthropic initiatives that support the neighbourhoods in which we operate. Since its inception in 2020, we’ve been solely focused on food insecurity – one of our foundation’s four main pillars, beside mental health, youth initiatives, and social justice. We’re proud to have continued our mission to combat food insecurity in Canada this past fall. 

Did you know 1 in 7 Canadians face food insecurity everyday?  

Our foundation set an initial goal of $50,000, encouraging staff, their friends and family, as well as our corporate partners to donate through our online portal. FCR then matched all employee donations dollar for dollar, doubling our support for Second Harvest. With every dollar equalling two meals, this initial goal would’ve provided 100,000 meals – but did we ever surpass this goal! 

The FCR Thriving Neighbourhoods Foundation kicked off this charitable initiative with an employee-led fundraising walk through seven of our urban neighbourhoods across Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. We also offered a virtual attendance option to allow for all staff to participate and join in on the cross-country event.  

Immediately, we were overwhelmed with the generosity of our amazing staff and corporate partners, and we couldn’t be more thankful to those who participated. By October’s end, our staff fundraising had come to a close, yet we continued receiving corporate donations through November and December. In our final push to raise funds for Second Harvest, we held an internal Holiday Draw that raised an additional $4,000 in just one week – a remarkable achievement for FCR staff. 

About Second Harvest 

Aligning with our charitable goals, as well as our ESG objectives, Second Harvest actively works to solve our nation’s food insecurity issue. In Canada, $49 billion worth of perfectly good, edible food goes to waste every year due to cosmetic imperfections, confusion around best before dates, and errors in labeling or packaging. This wasted food often ends up in landfills and produces methane gas. Methane is a harmful green house gas that adds to climate change. In fact, if methane or food waste were a country, it would be the world’s third largest polluter behind China and the US. By diverting this perfectly good food from landfill and using it for its intended purpose – feeding people – there is a significant environmental benefit as well.  

This wasted food has the potential to feed millions of hungry people as Canada produces enough to feed almost double its population. Second Harvest fights this problem by providing surplus food to local social programs across Canada, free of charge. By providing free food to these charitable organizations, it in turn helps to expand their capacities as they can spend the funds that may have otherwise been spent on food, on their core programs and support resources. To provide these charitable organizations with free surplus food, they often host fundraising events and lean on corporate donations for support.  

As one of Canada’s leading REITs, we are active in over 148 neighbourhoods across the country. With that in mind, the goal of our 2021 Fall Fundraiser was to ensure all neighbourhoods in which we operate would be supported, portfolio wide. Our $338,000 raised will provide 939,168 meals for community members in need across Canada. 

First Capital would like to thank our staff, corporate sponsors, Second Harvest, and our Thriving Neighbourhoods Foundation for the outstanding success of our 2021 Fall Fundraiser. We couldn’t have done it without the support and remarkable generosity of those who participated, fundraised, and supported this charitable event.  

Going forward, the FCR Thriving Neighbourhoods Foundation has some exciting plans for 2022 and 2023! Stay tuned for special updates including volunteer opportunities, charitable events, and the announcement of our next pillar of focus (one of mental health, youth initiatives, or social justice). 

For more information on our 2021 Fall Fundraiser, listen to our newest episode of The Explainer podcast here – also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts 
Read more on our FCR Thriving Neighbourhoods Foundation here
Read more about Second Harvest here

Follow us on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook for updates on our foundation and all things First Capital 

For the third consecutive year, we are honoured to have been named one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers by Mediacorp Canada and The Globe and Mail. This esteemed award recognizes organizations who demonstrate excellence and best practices in the workplace for employee support and success. Each year, applicants are evaluated on leadership in employee culture, benefits & total rewards, communication, training & education, and community involvement.

“Our ongoing goal is to foster a professional, rewarding, dynamic, and enthusiastic work environment where everyone feels welcome and free to express themselves”, says Sommer Stewart Senior Director, People & Culture. “In supporting our employees, we offer competitive compensation, generous employer-paid benefits, training & education resources, and opportunities to grow their careers”. To name a few, we provide every full-time employee with a $3500 academic fund to further their education, an exceptional summer internship program, employees and their family members can receive up to $2,000 in mental health benefits, as well as extensive wellness packages to fit the diverse needs of our employees.

We recognize that fostering an inclusive, diverse, and equitable work environment is at the centre of every successful organization and remains at the core of our values. By creating a safe and respectful work environment that embraces different perspectives and lived experiences, we strive to inspire everyone to become their best selves. As a Canadian company, we understand the importance of ED&I in the workplace as it reflects the diverse communities in which we operate. We’re continuing to evolve, educate ourselves, become more socially accountable, and build on our understanding of ED&I. In doing so, we created our employee-led ED&I council in 2020 to improve our workplace and support our staff.

This fall, the FCR Thriving Neighbourhoods Foundation held a charitable walk in seven of our neighbourhoods across Canada in support of Second Harvest. Focusing on food insecurity, our goal was to raise at least 100,000 meals. With FCR’s match, every $1 we raised, translated to 4 meals for those in need. Our amazing staff exceeded this total and raised an outstanding $50,744 which was doubled by FCR ($101,488), translating to a total of 202,976 meals for hungry Canadian families.

As COVID-19 has continued to affect our workplace environment, our goal is to ensure the safety of our employees upon returning to the office. This fall, we implemented a hybrid work model where fully vaccinated employees have the flexibility to work three days in office and two days at home. During this time, we also introduced flex work hours to fit the diverse needs and schedules of each employee.

Being recognized as one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for the third consecutive year is a testament to the excellence and talent among our 350+ employees nationwide. Our employees are at the core of our success, and we wouldn’t be where or who we are today without them.

THANK YOU FCR STAFF!

To learn more about this recognition here: Greater Toronto’s Top Employers 2022

Adam Paul was featured on BNN Bloomberg to discuss the Q2 Quarterly results, and the Canadian real estate market.