Sponsor Spotlight: Libro Credit Union

Helping neighbours in need is a community effort. Here at The Food Bank of Waterloo Region, we couldn’t support our community the way we do without the incredible generosity of sponsors like Libro Credit Union. As a certified B Corporation, Libro has a “purpose beyond profit.”

“We’re a corporation for good,” says Scott Macleod, the regional manager of Community Banking at Libro. “It’s something we’re really proud of. We’ve made a commitment to support our community while we do business.”

Through their Annual Grants program, Libro generously provides funding to organizations all over southwestern Ontario, supporting initiatives that align with their four key pillars: financial resilience, employment, housing, and food accessibility. Under the food accessibility pillar, Libro provided The Food Bank of Waterloo Region with funding for two years for our Fresh Approaches Food Centre, our award-winning, onsite food processing facility. In this space, staff and volunteers slice, dice, and repackage dry, fresh, and frozen food, extending the shelf life and increasing the variety, quality, and quantity of food distributed to our agency partners through the Community Food Assistance Network.

Volunteers in our Fresh Approaches Food Centre.

“We were just blown away by everything The Food Bank does,” explains Scott. “The [Fresh Approaches Food Centre] was a great fit for what we’re trying to achieve with our pillars. The approach that room takes is so unique and is a great way of maximizing donations.”

Thanks to Libro, we can increase the amount of fresh, healthy food available for people in need. To date, nearly 400,000 pounds of nutritious, edible food has been processed in the Fresh Approaches Food Centre and distributed to the 40,500 people in Waterloo region struggling to afford to put food on the table. Libro’s gift also helps us buy packaging supplies such as vacuum bags, poly bags, containers, and labels. We truly couldn’t be more grateful to Libro for helping us increase our capacity so we can provide more fresh, healthy food for people experiencing food insecurity.

Watch this video from December 2022 to see Libro present The Food Bank with a cheque for $40,000. Since it was almost Christmas, Scott dressed up as Santa Claus and even wrote a special poem for the occasion!

Sponsoring The Food Bank’s Fresh Approaches Food Centre has been an incredibly positive and rewarding experience for Libro. To other businesses, Scott says “take the time to go in and take a tour, learn what [The Food Bank] is doing, and hear about the need that’s in the community.”

To learn more about The Food Bank’s sponsorship opportunities and how your business can help ensure no one in our community goes hungry, visit our website.