Every year, employee-owners at Friesens Corporation have a chance to vote for their favorite charity, and the voting process determines what percentage of funds are donated to each organization. An employee-owner then presents the donation to the recipient charity.

This year, we decided to combine the media releases to better highlight the various charities and organizations that have benefited from the Employee Directed Giving Campaign over the years. Some of them are new recipients, while others have benefited on an ongoing basis from year to year.

So, on behalf of the Employee-Owners of Friesens Corporation, we are pleased to inform you that we have made the following donations:

1. The Rhineland Food Bank …………………$8,036

2. Altona Fire Department …………............. $7,143

3. Youth for Christ/Station …………............. $6,101

4. Kiddie Sunshine Centre ……………………$5,208

5. Blue Sky Opportunities……………………. $4,464

6. Winkler Bible Camp ……………… ………. $4,464

7. Furever Friends …………………………......$4,167

8. Katie Cares ………………………………… $3,720

9. Genesis House ………………………………$2,530

10. Special Olympics/Altona Panthers ……… $2,232

11. Altona Community Gardens ……………….. $1,339

12. Big Brothers Big Sisters ……………………. $ 595

CEO Chad Friesen said, “As an Employee-Owned organization, it is important for us to have employees influence our charitable giving. For 115 years the employees of Friesens Corporation have played a major role in the community, and we continue to play that role today.”

One of our core values is to help build a stronger community. We invest in the community through both cash donations and by supporting our employees as coaches, youth leaders, fundraisers, and many other important volunteer roles.

This is not the only time of the year that Friesens acts as a sponsor and mentor in the community, but we are proud to support numerous initiatives throughout the year from the local level to the national level. We focus on literacy, culture, education, environment, history, care, and recreation.