Down On Your Corner

CO-OP

Regina Resident Wins $100,000 Thanks to Co-op, a Forgetful Husband and Sauerkraut

REGINA — In something of a prairie fairytale, Helene Woitas went to the Co-op Food Store to get a jar of sauerkraut and ended up coming home with $100,000.

Woitas’ husband, David, had initially gone for groceries but returned without the sauerkraut on the list. She went back to the store for the prairie staple and discovered she had picked up the seventh game piece needed to win the grand prize in Co-op’s Fuel Up to Win promotion.

“I couldn’t believe it at first,” Woitas said. “I thought there would be others and there would just be a draw. That was the last surprise I expected. It couldn’t have happened at a better time.”

Woitas, who has run a daycare out of her Regina home for 35 years, and her husband have been Sherwood Co-op members for decades. They discussed using some of the winnings to complete some renovations. The rest, she said, will be put into savings to help with retirement.

“The odds of getting that one ticket are unbelievable,” said Woitas. “Dave’s reaction when I showed him the Fuel Up to Win card was to ask which one I was missing. He then looked again and realized I had them all. He asked me if I had put the right stickers on. He still couldn’t believe it until the marketing company verified it two-and-a-half long weeks later.”

More than $8.5 million in prizes and discounts were available to Co-op customers in this year’s Fuel Up to Win contest, which was held March 5 to April 29. The $100,000 grand prize is a guaranteed prize that is awarded whether or not all game tickets are found. However, Co-op customers have found the single winning game piece to defy the odds – more than one in 28 million – in four of the last five years.

“Fuel Up to Win served as a bit of a distraction this year as Co-op customers made efforts to stay home and self-isolate with the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Troy Verboom, CEO of Sherwood Co-op. “We’re excited to present the grand prize to a member of our local Co-op this year. Congratulations to Helene and her family on finding the winning game piece and thank you to everyone for playing.”

Woitas said she always enters store contests because you can’t win if you don’t enter.

“I would always enter when they are doing in-store draws for barbecues, backyard parties, etc.,” she said. “I have never won before. Don’t think you can’t ever be a winner. If you’re there at the right time, that can be your chance.”

This was the eighth year the promotion has been offered by participating Co-op locations across Western Canada. While the winner found the ticket at a Co-op Food Store, Co-op Home Centres and Co-op Gar Bar/Convenience Stores also participated in the promotion.

“It was a great feeling holding a $100,000 cheque with my name on it,” said Woitas. “I never thought this would ever happen in my life.”

 

 

Rabba Fine Foods

Rabba Fine Foods expands its plant-based meat substitute category thanks to growing partnership with Beyond Meat

Rabba locations now offer Beyond Burger and Beyond Beef, with more to come.

Rabba Fine Foods rolls out, June 2020, two new protein-rich products, Beyond Burger and Beyond Beef, as part of a new partnership with Beyond Meat, the leader in plant-based meats.

Mississauga, Ont. – Rabba Fine Foods has expanded its selection of plant-based meat alternatives thanks to a partnership with Beyond Meat. Rabba locations will now carry Beyond Burger and Beyond Beef, with more of the protein-rich Beyond Meat product line to be added in the months to come.

“We’re so happy to see the way in which this category has grown over the years,” says Rima Rabba, marketing director at Rabba Fine Foods. “We’ve known about their nutritional value and impact on the environment for a while. We are delighted to partner with Beyond Meat to bring this deliciously popular product line to our local market customers.”

The collaboration has been in the works for months and is part of Rabba’s commitment to offer a variety of popular and high-quality food options to its neighbours.

Beyond Meat sources all of its ingredients from plant-based sources. Through the use of heating and cooling techniques, the products incorporate the right combination of carbohydrates, fats, minerals and colours from fruits and vegetables to replicate the flavour profile and texture of traditional meats. By shifting from animal to plant-based meat, the organization works with industry and partners to address four growing global issues: human health, climate change, constraints on natural resources and animal welfare.

For more information visit rabba.com

 

 

GALES GAS BARS

Gales Gas Bars Starts Golf Tee Campaign

Gales Gas Bars reports that its’ golf tee campaign, in response to COVID-19, has been going very well.

“We have golf tees available on the top of all of our self-serve pumps, or from the attendants and clerks, that are utilized by customers to touch pump buttons and/or payment terminal buttons – so that they are not touching the devices themselves,” says Jessica Friesen, CEO, Gales Gas Bars/BOBs Fast & Fresh Convenience. “They have been a huge hit and are a marketing piece moving forward for us as well.”

OPW

OPW Thanks and Supports Local Foodbanks

OPW thanks all the local foodbanks that have worked hard to support families in need around the world, especially during these uncertain times. With many foodbanks reporting shortages, OPW has donated between $500 and $1,000 (USD) to key foodbanks in communities where OPW employees live and work.

“Many communities and industries have been impacted by COVID 19,” said OPW President Kevin Long. “We recognize the challenging times and are committed to supporting our employees and the communities in which we operate. OPW would like to thank the local foodbanks that are providing critical services for our neighbors in need.”

OPW has provided charitable donations to the following foodbanks to help them continue to provide meals to their neighbors in need:

Illinois (U.S.):

Greater Chicago Food Depository
https://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/

Mumbai (India):

Khaana Chahiye
https://effortsforgood.org/campaign/community/khaana-chahiye-hunger-in-the-times-of-corona/

New South Wales (Australia):

Oz Harvest
https://www.ozharvest.org/

North Carolina (U.S.):

Inter-Faith Food Shuttle
https://www.foodshuttle.org/community-partnerships

North Yorkshire (U.K.):

The Trussell Trust
https://www.trusselltrust.org/

Ohio (U.S.): Shared Harvest Foodbank https://www.sharedharvest.org/

Suzhou (China):

Suzhou Industrial Park Volunteers

Association
http://www.sipac.gov.cn/english/Topstory/201912/t20191203_1078463.htm

Wisconsin (U.S.):

De Pere Christian Outreach Food

Pantry

http://www.deperechristianoutreach.org/dpco-food-pantry.html