What do roofing and carrots have in common? This sounds like a bad joke, but the answer is that the Elite Roofing team recently volunteered to help Second Harvest Food Bank sort through carrots. Lots of carrots! We sorted an incredible 985 pounds for distribution to Canadians in need!
Are you curious? Read on.
What Does Second Harvest Do?
We first heard about Second Harvest in 2018 while we were replacing the roof on the industrial building they occupied at the time. We learned about the important work they do helping our fellow Canadians and knew we wanted to become involved. 
Nearly 60 percent of all food produced in Canada goes to waste at various stages of production and distribution. Causes include overproduction, unharvested produce due to labour shortages, damage during transportation, upcoming expiry, and not meeting industry standards—such as carrots not being round or long enough.
This wonderful organization “rescues” good surplus food from being dumped in landfills by collecting and redirecting it to thousands of other charities and non-profit organizations. Helping with food insecurity and environmental impacts, Second Harvest has rescued 53 million pounds of food for redistribution, averting 162 million pounds of greenhouse gasses.
Imagine all that fresh food that would have been wasted now going to Canadians in need–from snacks for children’s after-school programs to prepared meals for seniors to food for shelters, drop-in centres, and local food banks.
The Demand is Greater than Ever
Pre-COVID, one in eight people were facing food insecurity in Canada. As soon as COVID-19 hit, this figure rose to one in seven, with the number of food programs operated by non-profit organizations more than doubling since 2019.
Sorting through carrots is not something roofers do every day, but life is about much more than business. It’s about helping our neighbors, sometimes with boots on the ground. Last year Second Harvest rescued PEI potatoes. This year Elite decided to undertake a team building activity to assist with the sorting and packaging of carrots. Next year? We don’t know what next year’s crop will bring, but we plan to continue working with Second Harvest to address both hunger and environmental challenges.
We are proud of the Elite team for participating in this effort:
- Isaac Glowinsky, General Manager
- Howard Glowinsky, Director
- Lauren Lewis, Office Manager
- Brian Lewis, Service Manager
- Artur Prazmo, Project Manager
- Nathan Altomare, Sales Manager
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- The Elite Roofing team volunteering and having fun packaging carrots.
Thanks to Samantha O’Neil from Second Harvest for arranging our team volunteering session.
How can you support Second Harvest Food Bank?
You can help by contacting Second Harvest at 416-408-2594 or sending an email to em***@se***********.ca.
