Nickel miner Vale has donated $100,000 to the Sudbury Food Bank to help address community demand, which is expected to increase as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
The company said in a March 31 news release that the funds would go to the online Cash for Cans campaign, which is replacing the food bank’s annual spring food drive.
“Vale has a long history of support for the Sudbury Food Bank,” said Danica Pagnutti, corporate and Indigenous affairs specialist for Vale’s Sudbury Operations, in the release.
“The Sudbury Food Bank is seeing new clients every day during this crisis and we really wanted to support the growing demand for their important community service.”
The company also participates in the annual Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive, which is held through the month of December and collects food for families in need during the holidays.
The initiative was started 32 years ago by Edgar Burton, a Vale Divisional Shops employee who spent 36 years working for the company.
The Sudbury Food Bank distributes food to 44 food banks and meal providers across the City of Greater Sudbury, Pagnutti noted. These agencies currently support 8,000 to 8,500 people per month and that number is expected to grow exponentially with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier in March, Vale committed to donating 500 N95 masks to Health Sciences North after a local oncologist made public a plea for help from the community.
Brazil-headquartered Vale has extensive mining operations in Sudbury, including five mines, a smelter, and a refinery.
The operations employ 4,000 people locally.
