Greater Vancouver Food Bank asks people to reconsider donating Loblaws gift cards
Non-profit asks people to use cards to buy non-perishable food, or donate equivalent in cash
The Greater Vancouver Food Bank wants people to rethink making donations of Loblaws gift cards, despite a social media campaign to pass the cards on to charity.
The Canadian grocery giant began giving out $25 cards recently as a goodwill gesture after admitting to an illegal bread price-fixing scheme.
The food bank says it appreciates the $825 worth of Loblaws gift cards it has received so far, but would like people to consider other ways to help.
"We accept the donated cards, but we have not actively promoted them as donations to the food bank," said a statement from the food bank.
The cards need to be activated online before they can be used, adding an extra organizational step for staff and volunteers, the statement explained.
Also, those who donate the gift cards won't be able to claim a tax receipt, which they can for cash donations.
Cash is best
The food bank is instead encouraging people to use their gift cards to purchase $25 of nutritious, non-perishable food items and place them in donation bins provided in Loblaws stores.
Even more useful is donating the equivalent amount in cash.
"As always, we would prefer donor dollars in lieu so we can leverage those purchasing dollars directly with our industry partners and growers. i.e., for every dollar donated we can buy $3 (or triple) the amount of food," the food bank's statement says.
It also says it can use cash donations to defray the costs of food transportation.
The Canadian Competition Bureau alleges the bread price-fixing scheme involved five major grocers and two bakeries.
They all allegedly agreed to bump up the price of bread by at least $1.50 over the course of about 14 years, starting in 2001.