Business leaders strive to make a difference in fighting hunger
Maple Leaf supporting urban farm that aids people in Ward 4
The CEO of Maple Leaf Foods says there is a good business case for companies to get involved in the fight against poverty.
“Why must businesses be pushed and prodded and pushed and prodded to help support vital social issues?” Michael McCain asked during his keynote speech at a poverty-reduction summit in Hamilton Tuesday.
“You cannot have successful, thriving businesses without successful, thriving communities.”
McCain spoke to a group of business people, community organizers and politicians
at the Hamilton Convention Centre by Carmen’s about the efforts the meat processing company has undergone to tackle food insecurity.
Late last year, the company announced it had launched a not-forprofit organization called the Maple Leaf Centre for Action on Food Security with a goal of reducing food insecurity in Canada by 50 per cent by 2030.
One of the first projects the centre committed to supporting was Hamilton’s McQuesten Urban Farm, a community initiative to increase food security in the Ward 4 neighbourhood.
Overall, the company is expecting to invest $10 million over five years to support the centre’s activities, and McCain himself has contributed $2.5 million toward the cause.
McCain was one of several speakers at the first day of the three-day summit organized by Vibrant Communities Canada — a Tamarack Institute initiative — and the City of Hamilton called Cities Reducing Poverty: When Business is Engaged.
The day also included workshops, a keynote talk from Colette Murphy of the Atkinson Foundation and a panel on businesses engaged in reducing poverty.
Panellist Josie Rudderham, coowner of Cake and Loaf Bakery, spoke of her company’s commitment to pay staff a living wage, which she said is part of being a socially responsible employer.
The living wage in Hamilton is $15.85 an hour — calculated as the minimum amount needed to meet a household’s basic needs.
From the start, Cake and Loaf committed not to pay for advertising and instead create a story worth talking about based on their efforts to better the community, Rudderham said.
So far, it’s worked, she said. The bakery experienced its highest sales the day after The Globe and Mail ran a story about the business as a living wage employer, she added.
Mark Farrugia, owner of La Piazza Allegra and Sasso Pizza Bar and Market, said hiring practices is one way he tries to make a difference through his business.
Almost 10 years ago, the company started reaching out to agencies like Ableworks, which helps people with disabilities find jobs, when looking for applicants.
Since then, there has been a low turnover rate with many of the staff he’s hired through those connections, Farrugia said.
“There’s a strong business case that goes along with it.”