By Owen Charters, President & CEO, BGC Canada

February 3, 2025

Over six hundred BGC Club locations across Canada serve nearly 150,000 children and youth. Each Club is being asked to do more to support young people, but they don’t always have the resources they need.

BGC Clubs support communities in key issue areas

During my time with BGC, I’ve had the opportunity to visit almost every one of our 85 BGC Clubs, and two truths stand out: Our Clubs are very dynamic, and they face challenges every day. Yet, repeatedly, Clubs rise above challenges to provide great service in their communities.

While the services provided at each Club look a little different, they all support key issue areas: before- and after-school care, youth employment, youth mental health, food insecurity, and learning, to name a few.

Those 85 BGC Clubs provide six hundred Club locations nationwide and serve 150,000 children and youth. With rising living costs, each Club is being asked to do more to support young people in their communities.

For example, we know that Canadians are facing food insecurity more than ever. From 2018 to 2022, food costs rose by 19.1%. Recent reports show that as of 2023, 1 in 4 Canadian children under 18 live in food-insecure households—that’s 2.8 million young people. Times like these are when BGC Clubs come in.

At BGC Canada, food support means more than just providing snacks

On top of providing nearly 7 million healthy meals and snacks every year, our food programs teach young people food literacy—where food comes from, how to prepare it, and how to make healthy choices. Without food literacy, food security is impossible.

When I visit a Club, food is the hub for everything: it’s the snack the kids gravitate to immediately when coming through the doors. It’s the smell of a hot dinner wafting through the halls for kids and families. And it’s making sure kids have the food they need for their family when they leave each night.

RELATED: BGC Clubs provide kids with basic needs so they can have brighter futures

Our Kid Food Nation and Kid Chef Nation programs were recently re-designed to help young people develop their food knowledge and cooking skills. This means that not only do they get healthy meals from their Club, but they also get skills that set them up for lifelong success.

Read more:

• BGC Clubs want the best for Canadian kids
• BGC Clubs are a modern solution to help parents
• BGC Clubs are a safe ‘third place’

Published on Canada Newswire on April 9, 2024.

BGC Canada puts out urgent call for additional partners as needs skyrocket.

TORONTO, April 9, 2024 /CNW/ – Today, BGC Canada is putting out an urgent ask for more partners for its crucial Food Fund as needs at Clubs from coast-to-coast increase and 1 million Canadian children live in poverty. The Walmart Foundation and goeasy Ltd. have answered the call so far in 2024, with significant donations to help kids thrive.

The Walmart Foundation has made a $1.8 million donation to support Kid Food Nation, a BGC Canada cooking program that teaches healthy food habits with culturally relevant food resources in a fun and interactive way. This program will impact upwards of 2,200 children and youth and provides a foundational building block for young people to create pathways for a healthier life. Kid Food Nation will also educate youth about food and culture, food production and food access.

As the inaugural partner, in 2023, goeasy Ltd. committed $1.4 million over three years to BGC Canada’s Food Fund to help address the rising issue of food insecurity amongst Canadian households. Building on over two decades of partnership with BGC Canada, goeasy’s ‘Feed their Future’ program will help provide 350,000 meals and snacks to children across the country who attend the BGC Clubs.

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, BGC Canada works to combat food insecurity and its adverse effects as child poverty in Canada continues to rise. On a daily basis, Clubs deliver quality food and provide kids with access to nutritious meals and snacks – along with cooking classes to teach skills that will last a lifetime. Programs like Project Backpack also support wider community needs, with families receiving backpacks of food to help bridge the gap.

BGC Canada requires a minimum of $15 million annually to effectively run its food programs. The BGC Food Fund is still in need of additional partnerships as food insecurity rises in Canada.

“At BGC Canada, we are proud to develop culturally relevant meal and food literacy programs that reflect the diversity of Clubs and support daily nutrition needs. Support like the significant investments from goeasy Ltd and the Walmart Foundation will allow us to positively impact the 150,000+ children and youth we serve,” said Owen Charters, President and CEO, BGC Canada. “Our Clubs serve more than 6 million healthy meals and snacks every year and Club leaders are telling us that the number of kids showing up to our programs on an empty stomach is growing. 69% of our Clubs operate in primarily BIPOC neighbourhoods, which have been historically unevenly impacted by food insecurity.”

“The Walmart Foundation has committed to help strengthen food systems so that all people can access and choose healthier food,” said Julie Gehrki, Vice President at the Walmart Foundation. “By supporting BGC Canada, which has significant presence in underserved communities, the Walmart Foundation hopes to support immediate needs for meals and snacks and equip youth for future generations with culturally relevant food education, strengthening local communities around the country.”

“Since 2004, goeasy has donated over $4 million to BGC Canada through a variety of programs designed to support and empower the children and youth that use the clubs every day, including the easybites program, a 10-year, $2.5 million commitment to remodel 100 kitchens across the BGC network of clubs nationwide,” said Andrea Fiederer, EVP & Chief Marketing Officer, goeasy Ltd. “With nearly a quarter of families eating less than they should be due to rising costs, the need is great. We hope other partners will join in to support the incredible work of BGC Canada in the fight to end food insecurity.”

About BGC Canada

For 120+ years, BGC Canada (formerly Boys & Girls Clubs of 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 Philanthropy at Walmart

Walmart.org represents the philanthropic efforts of Walmart and the Walmart Foundation. By focusing where the business has unique strengths, Walmart.org works to tackle key social and environmental issues and collaborate with others to spark long-lasting systemic change. Walmart has stores in 20 countries, employs more than 2 million associates and does business with thousands of suppliers who, in turn, employ millions of people. Walmart.org is helping people live better by supporting programs to accelerate upward job mobility for frontline workers, advance equity, address hunger, build inclusive economic opportunity for people in supply chains, protect and restore nature, reduce waste and emissions and build strong communities where Walmart operates. To learn more, visit walmart.org.

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 over 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 9,500 merchant partners across Canada. Throughout the Company’s history, it has acquired and organically served over 1.3 million Canadians and originated over $12.8 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 2023 Best Workplaces in Financial Services & Insurance, 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 $5.5 million to support its long-standing partnerships with BGC Canada and many other local charities. In 2023, the Company announced a 3-year, $1.4 million commitment to BGC Canada’s Food Fund to help address the rising issue of food insecurity amongst Canadian households.

goeasy Ltd.’s common shares are listed on the TSX under the trading symbol “GSY”.

SOURCE BGC Canada

For further information: To find out more about supporting BGC Canada’s Food Fund Contact: Brooke Duval (she/her), Senior Director, Partnerships & Philanthropy, Bduval@bgccan.com; For more information about goeasy and our business units, visit www.goeasy.com, www.easyfinancial.com, www.lendcare.ca, www.easyhome.ca

Published on Globe Newswire January 17, 2024

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Jan. 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — goeasy Ltd. (TSX: GSY), one of Canada’s leading non-prime consumer lenders, announced today that it will donate $1.4 million over three years to BGC Canada’s Food Fund in order to help address the rising issue of food insecurity amongst Canadian households. Building on over two decades of partnership with BGC Canada, goeasy’s ‘Feed their Future’ program will help provide 350,000 meals and snacks to children across the country who attend the BGC Clubs.

Since 2004, goeasy has donated over $4 million through a variety of programs designed to support and empower the children and youth that use the clubs every day by helping them develop the life skills they need to succeed. In 2014, goeasy expanded its partnership with BGC Canada through its easybites program, a 10-year, $2.5 million commitment to remodel 100 kitchens across the BGC network of clubs nationwide. Last year, goeasy was thrilled to complete their decade-long commitment with the opening of its 100th kitchen in Airdrie, Alberta.

The launch of goeasy’s Feed Their Future program in support of BGC Canada’s Food Fund marks the evolution of this partnership, as goeasy and BGC Canada find new and impactful ways to improve the lives of children in their communities.

“goeasy’s generous support ensures that young people are not held back by the inability to access a fundamental human need. Partnerships, like the one we have with goeasy, are essential to BGC Canada’s ability to serve communities,” said Owen Charters, President & CEO of BGC Canada. “We support 150,000 children and youth across Canada, providing nearly six million healthy meals and snacks a year. goeasy’s support will make all the difference in determining outcomes for these youth, empowering the next generation, and creating a brighter future.”

As inflation continues to exacerbate widespread food insecurity, BGC Canada’s work is getting significantly harder. It now takes nearly $15 million each year to support food-related costs at BGC Clubs, and reports suggest that more than 1 in 10 Canadian families are now relying on food banks, up 20 per cent from 2022. The BGC Canada Food Fund provides foundational food support for clubs by covering the operating costs associated with food delivery and programming, teaching food literacy and nurturing community gardening programs and supporting families experiencing food insecurity.

“After reaching our 100th-kitchen milestone and fulfilling our 10-year commitment, we collaborated with BGC Canada to identify new and meaningful ways to create a transformational impact on the diverse communities that we both serve,” said Andrea Fiederer, EVP & Chief Marketing Officer, goeasy Ltd. “As families cope with rising costs, nearly a quarter say they’re eating less than they should because they’re struggling to afford food. Our latest, ambitious commitment ensures that more Canadian youth will have the basic sustenance they need to be successful. We are extremely proud of what we have accomplished together over the past twenty years, but know there is still much more work to be done. We are optimistic that through this newest commitment, we will continue to be able to have a lasting positive impact on the lives of today’s youth.”

Learn more about goeasy’s charitable work with BGC Canada at goeasy.com. For more information on BGC Canada’s Food Fund, visit bgccan.com.

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 9,100 merchant partners across Canada. Throughout the Company’s history, it has acquired and organically served over 1.3 million Canadians and originated over $12.1 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 $5.2 million to support its long-standing partnerships with BGC Canada 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.

For more information about goeasy and our business units, visit www.goeasy.com, www.easyfinancial.com, www.lendcare.ca, www.easyhome.ca.

Media Contacts

Andrea Fiederer
Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, goeasy Ltd.
AFiederer@goeasy.com
647-796-1112

Holly Unruh
Senior Manager, Communications, Marketing, goeasy Ltd.
HUnruh@goeasy.com
647-654-0120