February 4, 2020
Warm feet, warm hearts sock drive helps keep the cold at bay across the country; more than 12,000 pairs of socks raised for homelessness charities in total
Winnipeg, February 4, 2020. . . Canada Life made a special delivery to the Main Street Project today – a mountain made of 4,000 pairs of socks. The donation comes from the financial services and insurance company after they wrapped up a two-week employee collection drive at their head office in Winnipeg and other cities across Canada.
“Our company is rooted in the belief of giving back to our community. We know Canadian winters can be harsh and that socks are an essential item for people experiencing homelessness, so we set a goal to collect 11,000 pairs of socks – that’s one pair per employee – from coast to coast,” said Jeff Macoun, President and COO, Canada, at Canada Life. “We’re proud to say our employees went over and above that target. We hope this donation to the Main Street Project will help bring some warmth, in more ways than one, to Winnipeggers during this frigid prairie season.”
According to Main Street Project, foot care can be a major cause of medical problems for people experiencing homelessness since they often must walk to access shelter, food, medicine and other services. In severe cases, foot health issues can lead to serious illness and amputation.
The organization notes that new socks can help keep feet more comfortable, warm and dry, and minimize health issues like ulcers, ingrown toenails, and nerve damage due to diabetes. Socks also help protect against frostbite, trench foot and other infections. Many people may wear two pairs at once to better fit ill-fitting donated footwear.
“We’re grateful for the donation from Canada Life, especially as it’s been very cold lately. Many of the folks we see at Main Street Project spend a lot of time on their feet, often walking several hours a day in ill-fitting shoes and they often don’t have access to a shower to clean their feet with the opportunity to change into clean dry socks,” said Cindy Titus, Communications & Fund Development Coordinator from Main Street Project. “This donation will make a big difference in allowing Main Street Project to always be able to say yes to providing a clean, dry pair of socks.
The national donation campaign ran from Jan. 6 – 17, 2020. Canada Life employees collected and donated over 13,500 pairs of socks in total for charities fighting homelessness in Winnipeg, Regina, Montreal, Toronto and London, and other communities in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec and Nova Scotia where the company has a presence.
About The Canada Life Assurance Company
Canada Life is a leading insurance, wealth management and benefits provider focused on improving the financial, physical and mental well-being of Canadians. For more than 170 years, individuals, families and business owners across Canada have trusted us to provide sound guidance and deliver on the promises we’ve made.
As of January 1, 2020, Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life became one company – Canada Life, and today, we proudly serve more than 13 million customer relationships from coast to coast to coast.
For more information contact:
Erika Miller
Associate Manager, Communications
Canada Life
204-509-1858
Media.Relations@canadalife.com
Cindy Titus
Communications & Fund Development Coordinator
Main Street Project
204-982-8257
ctitus@mainstreetproject.ca
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