J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI) is spreading joy and goodwill this holiday season through 12 Days of Giving. JDI is dedicated to making a positive impact, across all of its operations, on the communities in which it operates.

 ** Giving Initiatives Updated Daily**

On the first Day of Giving the Transportation and Logistics' Women Driving Forward team gathered supplies from across the division for the Canvasing Hope Campaign for the Coverdale Centre for Women. For the third year in a row the employee-led Women Driving Forward team orchestrated everything from the donations to drop off. Thanks to their hard work and the donations of our employees, we were able to provide canvas bags of essential items for local women in need.

Day 2: Kent Toy Drive

On the 2nd Day of Giving, the Kent Building Supplies Halifax, NS store had a “toy-riffic” start to the holiday season!

This year, KENT teamed up with the FX 101.9 Toy Drive to collect new toys for children in the HRM community. Pallets of toys were loaded and delivered to Adsum House for Women and Children. With the help of customers, friends at FX 101.9 TODAY'S COUNTRY and local community members the holidays were made more magical for many children this year.

Pictured below are: Frankie Hollywood and MJ from FX 101.9.

Day 3: Christmas Families Fundraising

On the third day of giving, the team at CFM provided three local families in Greater Saint John with presents — for the fifteenth year in a row! They raised funds through staff barbecues, special events, 50/50 draws and more.

“It costs about $1,000 to sponsor a family at Christmas. It takes a lot of work, but it adds up to a lot over time,” explained Susan Veinot, CFM's Quality Assurance Manager.

Susan and her team of "elves" begin fundraising early in the year and accept donations until mid-December. Then, she reaches out to a social worker with the Government of New Brunswick's Department of Social Development, who helps her select families that could use a helping hand. She learns all the details about the family: how many children there are, 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."

Day 4: Christmas Daddies at the Halifax Shipyard

On the fourth 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, Halifax Shipyard workers raised $1,408, with Friends of Bill Murray raising $14,788.40 for a total of $16,196.40 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 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

Day 5: Best Christmas Parade Ever

On the fifth day of giving, J.D. Irving, Limited Sawmills and Woodlands divisions were proud to participate for the first time in Truro, Nova Scotia's annual Holiday parade. This year's theme was "Best Christmas Parade Ever," with 50 participants and over 2,000 attendees! Both divisions came together to create a Woodlands Christmas tree farm, with employees and their families handing out candy and sharing holiday merriment from the float.

Day 6: Feeding the Next Generation of Leaders

On the sixth day of giving, J.D. Irving, Limited Woodlands and Sawmills team in Northern New Brunswick donated 10 Turkeys to École Mgr-Lang in Drummond, NB for their upcoming Christmas dinner! Supporting local schools has been a long-time commitment for the company, through organizations such as Partners Assisting Local Schools, and continues to grow as J.D. Irving, Limited invests in the future generation of leaders.

Day 7: Gift Drive for the Joshua Group

On the seventh day of giving, the team of 110+ employees at Irving Wallboard pooled their resources to make warmhearted donations to children and families in the Greater Saint John area.

Irving Wallboard purchased toys, puzzles, family board games, craft sets and more for the Joshua Group, a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization that serves local at-risk children.

The team also participated in the PALS Holiday Hamper program. They raised enough through staff donations to provide necessities to four local families, including a variety of grocery items, holiday treats and household necessities, as well as games for the whole family to enjoy.

Day 8: The Shoebox Project 

For the fifth year running, employees at J.D. Irving, Limited once again took part in The Shoebox Project. 

The Shoebox Project accepts donations and physical shoeboxes for local women in need. These gifts serve as a powerful reminder for local women that, despite their circumstances, they have not been forgotten and remain valued and respected members of our community.

Employees at Cavendish Farm’s New Annan plants in Prince Edward Island, the Toronto, Ontario Irving Tissue plant and our Head Office in Dieppe, New Brunswick gathered for wrapping parties to assemble over 70 shoeboxes filled with essential items and small luxuries for distribution in their communities. Employees also donated $6,850 online.

You too can donate at shoeboxproject.com.

From left to right: Kristy Duggan and Erin Avery from Cavendish Farms in New Annan, PEI.

Day 9: Supporting PALS Holiday Hampers 

On the ninth day of giving, employees from across JDI came together to fill PALS holiday hampers to support 140 local families in need. The hampers are delivered to schools across the Anglophone South School District and are filled with basic necessities, groceries, turkeys and small games and toys for families to enjoy over the holidays. 

Thank you to the schools, teachers and volunteers who make this possible every year!

Day 10: Christmas Tree Donation

On the tenth day of giving, in collaboration with the Irving Nature Park, Irving Woodlands once again donated a number of Christmas trees to the community.

Six trees were dropped off at the Lieutenant Governor's house, one tree to Crescent Valley Resource Centre, and continued the tradition of giving a wreath for PALS - Partners Assisting Local Schools to decorate their bus.

Day 11: Romero House Food Donation 

On the eleventh day of giving, J.D. Irving, Limited delivered 600kg of turkey and 20,000 takeout containers to Saint John Romero House, ensuring everyone in the community has a warm meal this holiday season. In addition to turkeys, fixings for dinner such as ham, beef, cranberry sauce, eggs, gravy and ice cream were donated and delivered by the truck load. Romero House has played an active role in supporting the south end peninsula for over 40 years. During the covid-19 pandemic, the soup kitchen began serving meals out the window to maintain safety protocols while continuing to feed to community. As of 2022, 146,709 meals have been served out of the window.

Day 12: Believe in Wishes Train Ride

On the 12th Day of Giving

Magical holiday train rides returned to JDI’s short-line rails in Southern New Brunswick and Northern Maine this year, for the first time since the pandemic.

New Brunswick Southern Railway partnered with the New Brunswick Chapter of Make-A-Wish Canada to raise nearly $80,000 to grant life-changing wishes for children in our community with critical illnesses. Employees and volunteers hosted more than 1,400 people on December 9 and 10 in Saint John, who enjoyed singing elves, hot chocolate and a visit from Santa Claus.

“With the return of this year’s train ride, we are on track to help fulfill approximately seven more wishes for children with critical illnesses in New Brunswick," said Sandi Hancox, New Brunswick Chapter Director, Make-A-Wish® Canada. "It's through the continuous support of partners like NB Southern Railway and J.D. Irving, Limited that we're able to keep hope alive with the power of a wish."

Northern Railway partnered with Kiwanis and Homeless Services of Aroostook to host holiday train rides, with all proceeds going to those charities. A special ride for our employees in Maine also raised funds for the Aroostook County Action Plan