TORONTO, July 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, the BGC Club in Airdrie, Alberta, which serves over 600 youth from the local community will unveil their newly remodeled goeasy easybites kitchen. The new kitchen will transform the Club’s ability to prepare and serve more than 13,000 nutritional snacks and 1,500 meals annually to those in need and will act as a hub to bring the community together.

goeasy has been a long-standing partner of BGC Canada for almost two decades and has donated over $4 million through a variety of programs to help kids who use the clubs develop the skills they need to succeed. This longstanding partnership led to the launch of the easybites program in 2014, a 10-year and $2.5 million commitment to remodel 100 kitchens across the BGC network of clubs nationwide. The kitchens allow club staff to prepare healthy meals for the youth, in addition to teaching them healthy eating habits and in many cases, inspiring a life-long passion for cooking. The success of this program would not be possible without the generous support of goeasy employees and partners like Whirlpool who have supported the program over the years by donating new appliances to help complete the kitchens.

“This program has been a testament to the tremendous impact that goeasy has made in the lives of youth across Canada and underscores how important these kinds of partnership are for BGC to serve our communities,” said Owen Charters, President & CEO of BGC Canada. “Providing safe spaces for youth to develop essential life skills, gain confidence, and foster a sense of community makes all the difference in determining outcomes for young people. Together, we can empower the next generation and create a brighter future.”

“I am thrilled to see our 100^th kitchen brought to life as we successfully complete our 10-year commitment to remodel the kitchens of the BGC Canada clubs across the country. Like BGC, we are deeply connected to the diverse communities we serve through our extensive retail network of over 400 locations across Canada and we are extremely proud of the transformational impact this program has had,” said Jason Mullins, President & CEO, goeasy Ltd. “In 2014, we made an ambitious charitable commitment to remodel 100 club kitchens across Canada. Our focus has always been on the children, nurturing healthy minds, fostering positive eating habits, and emphasizing the significance of sharing meals around a table. We believe in the power of this partnership to empower and create brighter futures for kids across Canada and are extremely proud of what we have been able to achieve together.”

Our commitment to food security and healthy eating does not end here. Looking ahead, BGC Canada and goeasy Ltd. are looking forward to continuing their partnership in new and meaningful ways. With a continued focus on improving the lives of the youth and children in their communities. Together, goeasy and BGC Canada are launching a new program – Feed Their Future—which will provide 350,000 meals to youth who attend clubs over the next three years.

About BGC Canada

For 120+ years, BGC Canada has been creating opportunities for millions of Canadian kids and teens. As Canada’s largest child and youth serving charitable and community services organization, our Clubs open their doors to young people of all ages and their families at 635 locations nationwide. During out-of-school hours in small and large cities, and rural and Indigenous communities, our trained staff and volunteers provide programs and services that help young people realize positive outcomes in self-expression, academics, healthy living, physical activity, job readiness, mental wellness, social development, leadership, and more. Opportunity changes everything. Learn more at bgccan.com and follow us on social media @BGCCAN.

About goeasy

goeasy Ltd. is a Canadian company, headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, that provides non-prime leasing and lending services through its easyhome, easyfinancial and LendCare brands. Supported by approximately 2,400 employees, the Company offers a wide variety of financial products and services including unsecured and secured instalment loans, merchant financing through a variety of verticals and lease-to-own merchandise. Customers can transact seamlessly through an omnichannel model that includes online and mobile platforms, over 400 locations across Canada, and point-of-sale financing offered in the retail, powersports, automotive, home improvement and healthcare verticals, through over 7,500 merchant partners across Canada. Throughout the Company’s history, it has acquired and organically served over 1.3 million Canadians and originated over $10.7 billion in loans.

Accredited by the Better Business Bureau, goeasy is the proud recipient of several awards in recognition of its exceptional culture and continued business growth including Waterstone Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures, ranking on the 2022 Report on Business Women Lead Here executive gender diversity benchmark, placing on the Report on Business ranking of Canada’s Top Growing Companies, ranking on the TSX30, Greater Toronto Top Employers Award and has been certified as a Great Place to Work®. The Company is represented by a diverse group of team members from 78 nationalities who believe strongly in giving back to communities in which it operates. To date, goeasy has raised and donated over $4.8 million to support its long-standing partnerships with BGC Canada, Habitat for Humanity and many other local charities.

goeasy Ltd.’s. common shares are listed on the TSX under the trading symbol “GSY”. goeasy is rated BB- with a stable trend from S&P and Ba3 with a stable trend from Moody’s.

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Media Contacts

BGC Canada
Rachael MacKenzie-Neill
VP, Development & Public Affairs
(416) 605-1414

goeasy
Madeleine Löwenborg-Frick
Vice President, Communications & Public Relations
MFrick@goeasy.com
(647) 796-1243

Jake Kislinksy
Account Director, Media Profile
jake.kislinsky@mediaprofile.com
(416) 342-1808

BGC Canada is calling on the Ontario Government to pass Bill 60, Safe and Healthy Communities Act (Addressing Gun Violence). The Bill, brought forward by MPP Mitzie Hunter, seeks to ensure supports for community-based violence intervention programs and trauma-informed counselling for survivors and victims affected by gun violence.

Greater stress from social isolation due to the pandemic, including the cancellation of extracurricular activities and in-class learning, has contributed to the alarming rise in youth involved in criminal activity in 2021 and 2022. Already this year, one third of homicides in the city of Toronto involve victims or accused individuals who are under the age of 20. BGC Canada encourages all members of the Ontario legislature to act now in supporting Bill 60 to help prevent youth-related violence and gang-related activity and ensure victims of gun violence and their families are provided with necessary supports and resources.

BGC Clubs are often located in communities where youth are at risk. We know that investing in youth crime prevention and trauma-informed support at organizations like BGC Clubs gives young people more access to mental health aid, mentorship, employment and skills training, safe places to connect with peers and caring adults, and so much more. Fewer crimes mean fewer victims, reduced costs for taxpayers, and safer and healthier communities for all families in Canada.

Originally published in the Globe & Mail December 11, 2020

By W. Matthew Chater, Owen Charters, Dan Clement, Peter Dinsdale, and Maya Roy

One thing is true of our organizations: We exist because communities need us.

More than eight million Canadians rely on us every year. And when times are especially tough, like now, even more turn to us, Canada’s essential network of community services. We offer spaces where children safely learn and play while their parents work, a hot meal and a place to rest for the night, a first job or resources during periods of unemployment, the support people need to break through barriers and so much more. We are the heart of Canadian communities, helping those living in vulnerable situations, and right now we are struggling.

As front-line charities and non-profits, we provide programs and services critical to Canada’s social safety net. Across all provinces and territories, people turn to us as trusted community service providers to cope, connect and recover – and they need us now more than ever.

Federal pandemic relief programs, including the Emergency Community Support Fund and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, enabled us to provide emergency child care, food programs, virtual services, shelters for people experiencing homelessness and women fleeing domestic violence, mental-health check-ins, personal protective equipment, critical care packages and more. But despite these measures, we continue to be negatively affected by rising costs and diminishing revenues. Canadians are generous, but the economic effects of COVID-19 are affecting many of our supporters, with 37 per cent reporting a reduction in their charitable contributions. As a result, our capacity to serve communities in the future is uncertain.

This is why we are turning to the Government of Canada to implement a Community Services COVID-19 Relief Fund immediately to protect the essential community services Canadians depend on, encourage future philanthropic giving and help us build back better. It is the only way the services that support millions of people in need will survive the pandemic. A program like the new, temporary Veterans Organizations Emergency Support Fund, which helps charities experiencing financial hardship to continue to serve veterans, would go a long way for service charities and non-profits in all sectors.

With the second wave of COVID-19 upon us, our communities are in crisis, especially those that were struggling before the pandemic. Job loss, isolation, stress and other factors have resulted in unprecedented challenges affecting the health and well-being of the people we serve.

Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities have been hit hardest. Women, especially those who are newcomers, are on the front lines providing essential care and services. Women are also taking on the lion’s share of responsibilities at home and are strained as a result, while child care remains unaffordable and in short supply, compounding the “she-cession.”

We are seeing a spike in requests for support, but are struggling to keep afloat. Funding sources are significantly limited or have dried up. Costs have increased while revenues have decreased dramatically because of cancelled in-person programming and fundraising events. Tens of thousands of employees have been laid off. And we’ve experienced permanent closings of long-standing services, with many more at risk, leaving communities without much-needed resources.

We have adapted, but we are stretched thin – and when we struggle, Canadians struggle.

National service charities and non-profits are on the ground in thousands of communities across Canada, with infrastructure, physical locations and a direct line to respond to the needs of Canadians. Governments rely on us to implement or facilitate social COVID-19 response and recovery programs. What will society lose if we are unable to operate?

Without urgent financial support from the government to help us survive the next 12 to 18 months and make it to the other side of the pandemic, a gap in essential services will be created that will be difficult and far more costly to replace.

Support from the federal government is not just an investment in us. It is an investment in emergency response today, recovery tomorrow and the future resiliency of communities.

Put simply, an investment in national service charities is an investment in Canada.

W. Matthew Chater is the national president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada. Owen Charters is the president and CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada. Dan Clement is the president and CEO of United Way Centraide Canada. Peter Dinsdale is the president and CEO of YMCA Canada. Maya Roy is the CEO of YWCA Canada.