Grocery store holiday campaign helps food bank feed a need

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on April 16, 2025.

Herald photo by Alejandra Pulido-Guzman Safeway south store manager Jack Henderson, Emily Beilby, executive administrator of the Lethbridge Food Bank, Valerie Lazicki, executive director of the Lethbridge Food Bank and Eric Blaskin, store manager of the Safeway West Lethbridge location stand among Safeway staff during a cheque presentation Friday at the Safeway South location.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

Two local grocery stores recently teamed up to help the Lethbridge Food Bank feed those in need by providing them with thousands of dollars’ worth of gift cards to make shopping easier whenever they need items for hampers.

Representatives of the Lethbridge Food Bank were presented with a large donation at the Safeway South Lethbridge location, from funds raised by both South and West side locations through the 2024 holiday season.

Eric Blaskin, store manager of the Safeway West Lethbridge location, told the Herald that at the end of November all Safeway stores are given goals for their holiday fundraiser.

“It’s something we do once a year, it is a phenomenal endeavour,” said Blaskin. “It all goes to our local food banks and here in Lethbridge it goes to the Lethbridge Food Bank.”

The stores had one month to raise the funds with the help of their staff who asked for donations at the register and spread the word around the community.

“Whether it be through cash donations or through our food bank hampers that we sell every single day and are provided to them every single day as well,” said Blaskin. “So that all gets lumped in together during the holidays season.”

Blaskin, who moved to Lethbridge around two years ago, said he’s never seen a more community-driven city, and that also applies to the staff and their sense of community compared to any other stores where he has previously worked.

“It’s been an amazing experience to be a part of it. The funds are distributed via Safeway/Sobeys gift cards and that gives the Lethbridge Food Bank the flexibility to purchase exactly what they need for their hampers at either location.”

He added that the stores do their best to accommodate the Food Bank’s needs.

“This year the donation was for $29,626, which is a phenomenal number,” said Blaskin. “And each year, if I’m not mistaken, we’ve continually grown our donations.”

He said they will push for over $30,000 next year, as their goal this year was $20,000 and they surpassed it by almost $10,000.

Emily Beilby, executive administrator of the Lethbridge Food Bank, said receiving such a large donation from Safeway, in the form of gift cards, is extremely helpful.

“This allows us to buy hamper items more easily and regularly, because it’s something we can store internally and use internally,” said Beilby.

It means they don’t have to wait for cheque signing from the board of directors and other staff, instead having access to funds instantly when needed.

“If we’re running out of items or we need emergency purchases, we can come straight down and use these gift cards at the grocery stores,” said Beilby.

She added that receiving an infusion of funds during this time of the year between seasons of giving such as Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas, is very important to them.

“Everybody wants to give at Christmas, but we still have to purchase food items all year. So, to have these boosters is really helpful.”