$2.1 million campaign pushes UFCW Canada lifetime fundraising for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada past $47.2 million

TORONTO, July 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Despite an extraordinarily challenging year, UFCW Canada members and Local Unions were undeterred in their extraordinary ongoing fundraising efforts, raising more than $2.1 million dollars in their latest annual campaign to support the lifesaving and lifechanging work of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC).

Since adopting the LLSC as their charity of choice in 1985, the UFCW family of members, Local Unions, and activists have now raised over $47.2 million in support of the LLSC. UFCW Canada members are your neighbours working in grocery stores, food processing plants, health care facilities, The Beer Store, security, hospitality, logistics, and other sectors of the economy, with many on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Through their heartfelt commitment and generosity, the UFCW Canada union family of members, activists, and Local Unions has been a pillar of strength and support over the past three decades for the LLSC,” said Paul Meinema, the National President of UFCW Canada. “As they have throughout the pandemic, day in and day out, UFCW Canada members and Local Unions continue to lead the way in helping their neighbors and communities across Canada – as well as the thousands of families across this country whose lives have been touched by blood cancers.”

In a typical year, UFCW Canada members, Local Unions, and allies organize and participate in numerous fundraising activities, including Light the Night walks to raise money for the fight against blood cancers. But the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of many of these events, including the Leukemia Bottle Drive – an annual Ontario-wide, May-weekend co-operative fundraiser between UFCW members and The Beer Store that converts deposits on bottles into donations to the LLSC. But even with the bottle drive canceled, bottle donations throughout the year still raised over $1.4 million.

The money raised annually by UFCW Canada activists and Local Unions across Canada is used to support research and programs to find a cure, provide better therapies and patient support, and raise public awareness of leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood cancers.

“We are grateful to UFCW Canada members, Local Unions and allies for their long-standing commitment to the blood cancer community,” says LLSC President Alicia Talarico. “Their generous support has helped to fuel what once seemed impossible – research that saves more lives, and critical programs that assist people at every step of their blood cancer experience. Without UFCW Canada members, Local Unions and allies, there would be fewer scientific breakthroughs and less support services available to those newly diagnosed, people in treatment and those navigating life after a blood cancer.”

You can find out more about the UFCW Canada family’s history of LLSC fundraising at ufcw.ca/leukemia. To learn more about The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC), visit www.llscanada.org.

About UFCW Canada:

As Canada's leading union for retail and food workers, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW Canada) represents over 250,000 workers across the country working in the food retail and processing, agriculture, health care, security, and hospitality industries, as well as other sectors of the economy. UFCW Canada is the country's most innovative organization dedicated to building fairness in workplaces and communities. Since 1985, UFCW Canada members and Local Unions have also fundraised over $47.2 million in support of the life-changing work of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada. To find out more about UFCW Canada, visit www.ufcw.ca.

CONTACT

Michael Forman, Communications Director
UFCW Canada
mforman@ufcw.ca
(416) 675-1104, extension 2249
www.ufcw.ca

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada:

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC) is the single largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancers in Canada. LLSC funds life-saving blood cancer research across the country and provides information and support services free of charge to people affected by a blood cancer and their families. Our mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of Canadians affected by blood cancers.

For personalized disease, treatment or support information, contact our local support staff at 1-833-222-4884. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Visit llscanada.org for more.

CONTACT

Maja Begovic, Director, Marketing Communications
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada
Maja.begovic@lls.org
416-731-9338