This holiday season, teams across our organization were busy giving back to our communities where we are proud to live and work! We want to share the spirit of giving by recognizing the generous hearts of our team members.

GIVING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITIES:

The Empty Stocking Fund: J.D. Irving, Limited gives $10,000 to the 105th Empty Stocking Fund. This year's telethon raised over $173,000 to brighten Christmas for children in need.

New Brunswick Southern Railway Sponsors "Children's Wish Polar Express" - Our NBSR team was a part of making Christmas dreams come true this year. They turned one of our passenger trains into a real-life Polar Express with amazing volunteer elves from Harbour View High in Saint John. Over $19,000 was raised thanks to generous Saint John families who rode the rails with Santa for the Children's Wish Foundation. Thank you to Harbour View High School students for being "elves" during the event, welcoming kids, and handing out treats! 

KENT Building Supplies (Lower Sackville, Bayers Lake, Dartmouth, Russell Lake) Host FX 101.9 Toy Drive: The Kent team and customers donate unwrapped toys, which are donated to groups in the surrounding communities. 13 pallets of toys were collected! The toys will be donated to Adsum House for women and children, and the IWK!

Cavendish Farms Head Office: Each year head office employees from Cavendish Farms donate toys to support the Salvation Army’s Christmas Assistance Program.

The team at J.D. Irving, Limited is pleased to donate $20,000 to the Salvation Army to help support their efforts for families in our community.

Operation Christmas Child: Employees from the J.D. Irving, Limited head office in Dieppe have participated in Samaritan’s Purse International Relief Canada’s Operation Christmas Child campaign for many years. Since we began participating, over 660 gift-filled shoe boxes have been donated to children around the world.

Irving Consumer Products' employees at head office in Dieppe, New Brunswick donated forty- two $30 gift cards to Moncton’s Headstart Toyland, towards the purchase of gifts for needy children.

Lethbridge: Employees at the Cavendish Farms Lethbridge, AB plant worked in partnership with Lethbridge Family Services to collect items for kids and teens. 

O'Leary PEI: Cavendish Farms employees in O’Leary, PEI raised $1,080 and collected food and clothing to donate to the West Prince Caring Cupboard Inc. to support low income families in the area. They also donated 120 bags of potatoes to the organization. The O’Leary plant also donates 250 bags of potatoes and 500 cases of frozen potato products to the local Chances daycare. The potatoes are combined with other community donations to make 500 gift baskets for families in need in central PEI. 

Our Atlantic Towing team in Newfoundland was busy raising funds to be donated to the Gathering Place in St. John’s. The team raised $400.00 to go towards the “Take Care of Lunch” campaign.

The team at Saint John head office organized a “Festive Friday” where employees were encouraged to wear their holiday sweaters to raise money for Operation Red Nose! 

HOLIDAY HAMPERS:

PALS Holiday Hampers: Every year, our Head Office employees, Atlantic Wallboard and Chandler Sales in Saint John are happy to put together Holiday Hampers filled with necessities including groceries, vegetables, and turkeys as well as small gifts and games! This year we gathered 100 hampers to support 37 families. 

Irving Paper: Generous donations from employees, Local 601-N, Local 907, and Irving Paper that are providing for four families (11 children) from Glen Falls Elementary School. Each child receives warm clothes, toys, a stocking filled with goodies, and turkey dinner.

IPP Hamper Delivery to Seaside Park: This year, the team at Irving Pulp & Paper was proud to donate 29 Holiday Hampers to Seaside Park Elementary School!

Construction & Equipment: Our Construction & Equipment Division Team as well as Gulf Operators happily raised $1,500 towards the needs of three beautiful Christmas families which have a total of 8 children. 

Sussex Woodlands Holiday Baskets: Team members from the Woodlands Sussex Garage volunteered several hours at the Sussex Sharing Club, where they helped set up the Holiday Hampers for 200 local families in need.

NBSR: Employees from NBSR packed 6 holiday hampers full of food items, necessities, games, and more with money from employee donations and recyclables collected through the year! Their hampers will be donated to Centennial School.

TURKEY & FOOD DELIVERIES:

Romero House Donation: Romero House in Saint John is a special annual stop during the holiday season. J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI) donates roasts of beef, ham, and 100 turkeys in addition to ice cream for the kids and 200 pounds of vegetables.

18-Wheeler Food Drive: Midland is a proud participant and supporter of the 18 Wheels of Christmas Food Drive, organized by the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association and Trucks for Change. Midland employees at our Atlantic Canadian terminals are encouraged to bring in non-perishable food items that will be donated to local food banks. 

Employees from head office also donated 120 turkeys that were delivered to First and Second Steps, Outflow Ministries, the Boys and Girls Club lunch program, Carleton Kirk and Hillcrest Baptist for their food programs.

ISI: Several of Irving Shipbuilding’s employees chose to donate their holiday turkey to those in need this holiday season. Because of their generosity, over 500 turkeys were delivered to food banks, shelters, and community organizations across Nova Scotia. 

New Brunswick Southern Railway: Employees from the railway team in Saint John donated turkey to a local turkey drive that supports Food Banks in Southern New Brunswick

AROUND OUR COMMUNITIES:

Tree Lighting @ Wolastoq Park: For the past 13 years, every holiday season, IPP with the help of Park staff set up and light a Christmas tree in Wolastoq Park. The public is invited for hot chocolate, candy canes and Christmas cheer. 

Sistema Concert: On Wednesday, December 13, Sistema New Brunswick Saint John Centre students showcased their progress at the Holiday Concert held at Saint John High School. The students range in age from 5 to 12 years old (grades 1 – 8). Five days a week, they receive after school music instruction by 16 teaching artists for about three hours each day. J.D. Irving, Limited’s contribution could be heard from both the percussion and strings sections with the timpani, ten cellos and four double basses.

Crescent Valley Resource Centre: JDI is pleased to donate a Christmas tree to the Crescent Valley Resource Centre each year. Thank you CVRC for sharing the photo of their tree decorated outside the centre!

KENT Building Supplies Bloomfield: The team at KENT Bloomfield put together a bake sale this season with all proceeds going to a local family in need!

Small Town, Big Spirit - Chipman Parade: Our JDI Woodlands and Sawmills teams in Chipman are proud supporters of the town's annual Christmas Parade. This year, they were the recipients of the "Best Decorated" float!

Santa Shuffle: Several Cavendish Farms employees participated in the annual Santa Shuffle on December 2, 2017 in support of the Salvation Army and their efforts to alleviate poverty.

Dieppe Head Office: PALS volunteers served Christmas dinner at Lou MacNarin School in Dieppe. 

Window Painting at IPP: Thank you students from Seaside Park Elementary School for painting the windows at our Pulp & Paper Mill in Saint John.

Gift Wrapping: This December, on two occasions, Cavendish Farms Lethbridge employees went to Park Place Mall to wrap Christmas gifts. Funds raised support Volunteer Lethbridge.

PALS volunteers from our Saint John head office served a Christmas breakfast feast at the Saint John Boys & Girls Club.

Thank you to all the teams at JDI who took initiative to sponsor families in their communities and give to non-profits through bake sales, 50/50 draws, festive sweater days, and more!

From all of us at JDI, best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season!