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There is no doubt that these are challenging times. However, Island Good producers and retailers are working hard to support Islanders while implementing procedures to help keep people safe.
Just in the month of March, St. Jean’s Cannery & Smokehouse has been able to quickly supply approximately half a million cans of seafood to retailers and consumers.
“I’m pretty proud of our staff,” stated Steve Hughes, CEO of St. Jeans. “Our staff is committed to the work and we have switched focus to our high volume, shelf stable products to do our part in food security for Canada. We have closed our retail stores, but created case lot specials for human and pet food available at stjeans.com to help people get nutrition delivered with less exposure.“
Things are also incredibly busy at Victoria-based Level Ground. They are honoured to support the community with local coffee during these times and will be launching a “Buy One, Give One” campaign on April 1st. Every time someone buys a bag of coffee from their online store, Level Ground will give a bag of coffee to a food bank in the Greater Victoria area.
Stacey Toews, co-founder of Level Ground is excited to initiate this campaign. “More people will be appreciating coffee from home. Buy from home and support local food banks through a local company. It’s a great way to use people’s everyday shopping habits as the catalyst to do good in our communities.”
French Creek Seafood in Parksville is taking social distancing seriously and only allowing two people in their Seafood Store at once. “Customers are loving it and thanking us for being there for them. We still are getting fresh seafood when available. Halibut season is also open now. Our freezers are well stocked and we will not be running out of product.” stated Tammy Moillet, Office Manager.
Country Grocer, 49th Parallel Grocery, Peppers Food Store, Tru Value Foods and Quality Foods are all Island Good grocers working hard to keep their shelves stocked, while implementing procedures to keep shoppers and their staff safe.
Country Grocer recently posted a Facebook Contest giving a shout out to our Island farmers and producers. Country Grocer carries products from over 100 local farmers and producers on the Island. Tammy Averill, Marketing Manager for Country Grocer confirmed “Island Good producers are filling the gap and working hard to keep up with customer’s needs.”
As well, many distilleries, such as Wayward Distillery in the Comox Valley, have ramped up production of hand sanitizer and spray sanitizer. Wayward Distillery has been distributing sanitizer to people and organizations in need for free, with priority going to First Responders, medical staff and charitable organizations.
A big THANK YOU to all who are supporting our Island Good producers and retailers in this time. Choosing local products helps the security and sustainability of our Island and Gulf Island economy. For a list of all the Island good retailers and goods producers visit islandgood.ca. |
