12 Days of Giving
12 Days of Giving
This holiday season, teams across our organization were busy giving back to our communities where we are proud to live and work! This year, we want to share the spirit of giving by counting down to Christmas with 12 days of giving.
1st Day of Giving – Romero House Donation
On the first Day of Giving, we are donating 100 turkeys and all the dinner fixings to show thanks to Romero House.
We are very grateful for our friends at Romero House and the work they do in the community. This holiday season they will continue serving Christmas dinner 'out the window' and are looking for food and clothing donations to help ensure everyone in our community has a warm and happy holiday.
Thank you, Romero House Saint John!
2nd Day of Giving -- Christmas Daddies
On the 2nd day of giving, Irving Shipbuilding proudly supports the annual Christmas Daddies Telethon!
The tradition was established by Bill Murphy, a retired Halifax Shipyard employee who passed in 2018. Bill is remembered fondly at Halifax Shipyard, especially for his humble generosity as he raised a remarkable $100,000+ for Christmas Daddies over 37 years. Now, his legacy is carried on by Friends of Bill Murphy, Unifor MWF Local 1 members who fundraise in his memory.
This year, Friends of Bill Murphy, Halifax Shipyard, and Unifor MWF Local 1 members raised over $15,000 in support of the Christmas Daddies Telethon, which provides toys, food, and gifts for children and families in need across the Maritimes. Their fundraising efforts include an ongoing bottle drive, company contributions, donations from local businesses, and individual donations from Unifor members.
In 2011, Bill Murphy was recognized by CTV as “Maritimer of the Week” for his dedication: https://bit.ly/3Y3h9ew
3rd Day of Giving – CFM & Irving Equipment Supporting Local Families
Every year, Susan Veinot leads the CFM Christmas Families program with the help of social workers from the Government of New Brunswick’s Department of Social Development. The entire team works together to have fun and raise funds through team barbecues, special events, 50/50 draws, and more.
“It costs about $1,000 to sponsor a family at Christmas,” said Susan. “It takes a lot of work to raise funds, but it adds up over time.”
Fundraising starts early in the year and Susan accepts donations until mid-December. Then, she reaches out to a social worker who helps her select families that could use a helping hand. She learns all the details about the family: how many parents are at home, how many children there are and their ages, and where they live so the CFM can make special deliveries.
“We like to give the families the necessities, like winter clothes, children’s books, family games, and gift cards to buy groceries,” said Susan. "Our staff even donates turkeys so that the families can have a Christmas dinner."
Kathy Parks has spearheaded Irving Equipment’s Christmas Families program since 2000. Fundraising is a concerted group effort, with staff barbecues, 50/50 draws, branded apparel sales, redeeming recyclables, and much more. The bulk of the fundraising is done when the Irving Equipment team works the annual Irving Oil Refinery shutdown. Being based in West Saint John, Irving Equipment works with its nearest PALS school: Seaside Elementary.
“I had a great visit with the night shift team,” Kathy wrote in her weekly Facebook update. “They are so generous! They raised $1,500+ from 50/50 draws for our Christmas Families. We could not support all the families that we do without our faithful supporters.”
This holiday season, CFM and Irving Equipment will support seven families in Saint John. The generosity will result in children having warm snowsuits and winter boots. The parents of these families will be able to provide their children with books to read and nutritious food to eat.
4th Day of Giving – The Shoe Box Project
Together with The Shoebox Project, our employees in New Annan, PEI and Dieppe, NB are helping bring a smile to women in need. Our employees raised over $6,000 and J.D. Irving, Limited matched their donations. The funds will help women impacted by homelessness receive a special gift this holiday season.
5th Day of Giving – Canvassing Hope
For the second year in a row, the Women Driving Forward (WDF) employee resource group in Transportation and Logistics ran Canvassing Hope, a donation drive, in support of the Coverdale Centre for Women in Saint John. Coverdale provides access to a safe space for women through their drop-in centre, emergency shelter, halfway house, and life-skills programming.
On December 12th, over 50 canvas tote bags were filled with clothing, games, and toiletries and brought to the Coverdale Team for distribution to women in need. The products donated by employees will help provide vulnerable members of our community with essential items and bring some joy during the holidays.
6th Day of Giving - Salvation Army Donation
This year, our employees from Saint John Head Office challenged each other to show off their most festive holiday sweater, raising funds for the Saint John Salvation Army. The 300 Union team raised funds topped up to a $10,000 company donation ensuring folks in our community have a warm place to rest over the holidays.
7th Day of Giving – PALS Holiday Hampers
PALS Holiday Hampers are a long-standing tradition across JDI's businesses. Every year, JDI employees come together to create holiday hampers filled with necessities for local families in need. All 8 of our divisions are working to gather holiday gifts and treats before Christmas.
We are thankful for the team at PALS and what they do for youth in our community all year round!
8th Day of Giving – Christmas Tree Donation
On the 8th day of giving, our Woodlands and Sawmill team in northern New Brunswick were pleased to donate 31 Christmas trees for auction to the Grand Falls Hospital in Town of Grand Falls / Ville de Grand-Sault, NB. Some of these trees were auctioned off to business for over $400! All money collected is put towards the Grand Falls Hospital foundation to provide support for patients in the facility.
9th Day of Giving – Chipman Holiday Parade
On the 9th Day of Giving, we are highlighting support for the Chipman Parade on Saturday, November 26th. The Woodlands and Sawmills divisions supported the parade and the reception, donating treats which were handed out to children by our employees. The reception, held at a local marina, had music, food, hot beverages, Santa, and a previously donated JDI firepit which was used to make s'mores.
10th Day of Giving – Kent Toy Drive
The annual FX 101.9 TODAY'S COUNTRY Toy Drive with Kent Building Supplies and REGroup was back in full force this year!
This was the first year everyone could gather in the store for the event since December 2019. Santa and a couple of his elves made a jolly visit to the Halifax store. The generous people around the Greater Halifax area did not disappoint with over 10 pallets loaded with donated toys this year!
Toys were delivered to the Adsum for Women & Children and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Halifax .