Reaping what you sow

May 02, 2025

According to Community Food Centres Canada¹, 8.7 million people — nearly one in four people living in Canada — experience food insecurity. Food insecurity disproportionately affects female one-parent families (at 46%), Indigenous people living on reserve (also 46%), and people of colour (40%), among others. The cost-of-living crisis has impacted communities across the country, including some of the nation’s wealthiest neighborhoods. This is something that Adrian Tate, Associate Vice President, Communications at CC&L Private Capital knows well.

“In my first year at CC&L Private Capital, I got involved with CC&L Foundation’s holiday campaign. I was invited to attend Harvest Project’s donor’s evening, where I was to hand over the foundation’s donation. I saw firsthand the incredible work they were doing in North Vancouver, the community where I live. It really opened my eyes to the challenges that exist in this otherwise privileged part of the country, where critical family needs are often hidden, and services scarce, for those who find themselves in hard times.

“I appreciated the local focus, and I wanted to help those struggling so close to our home. So, I became involved with their food bank in my personal capacity after that. It’s a place where those going through a troubled period, like divorce or job loss, can find the nourishment and the critical support that they need: from clothing donations and training for job interviews, to counselling and even rental deposit assistance to prevent them from experiencing homelessness.”

"Instilling a charitable heritage in our family has been just one of the ways we have reaped the benefit from our involvement with Harvest Project.” – Adrian Tate

CC&L Foundation connection

The CC&L Foundation has continued its support for Harvest Project, most recently with a multi-year financial commitment. The CC&L Foundation assists numerous not-for-profit organizations across Canada, focusing on organizations where employees and partners have a personal connection. The foundation aims to promote a better environment, improve education outcomes, advance science and medicine, build stronger communities, and encourage the arts.

Establishing a heritage

“I want to make my daughters aware of this somewhat hidden crisis in our community, so I regularly bring my family along to the food bank, as well as groups of friends, and the girls soccer team that I coach. Together, we sort through the food donations, checking dates and categorizing the food stuffs, before storing it appropriately.

“For one of my daughter’s birthdays, in lieu of gifts one year, she asked every person attending her party to bring along a food donation instead. And one Christmas, my girls invited their friends over and they made gift boxes for the Harvest Project to distribute to teens in need. Instilling a charitable heritage in our family has been just one of the ways we have reaped the benefit from our involvement with Harvest Project.”

Harvest Project

Since Harvest Project opened in 1993, they have been extending a helping hand to local communities across Metro-Vancouver’s North Shore. They provide one-to-one client-coaching, a rent bank, a grocery-support program, clothing supports, assistance for workforce re-entry, food-recovery and redistribution, and a retail Clothes for Change Thrift Boutique. Over the past few years, Harvest Project has seen an increased demand across these areas.

Kevin Lee, Harvest Project Chief Development Officer, says, “Harvest Project exists to serve our neighbours. Thanks to Adrian, his family and friends, and so many others in the community, we’re able to ‘extend a hand up’ to those finding themselves on the margins. When a leading business such as CC&L Private Capital demonstrates its care for the common good, tangible change happens. The entire community is made healthier, one household at a time, and, we’re all better off.”

¹ Food Insecurity & Poverty in Canada (EN)

Disclaimer

This post is for information only and is not intended as investment advice. The views expressed are those of the author at the time of publication and are subject to change at any time.

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