THUNDER BAY - Now that Black Friday has come and gone, a lesser-known shopping day is offering an opportunity for one local business to give back to the community.
Small Business Saturday is a recent addition to the shopping frenzy leading up to the holiday season and was created to encourage shoppers to spend money locally.
“It is a lesser-known event to Black Friday because most small businesses can’t compete with the frenzy and the mayhem that is Black Friday,” said Mila Gendron, manager at Wilderness Supply. “So it is a day to celebrate shopping local and the effect small businesses have on the community where our funds stay locally and where we hire local employees.”
Wilderness Supply is giving back to the community this year by donating all proceeds earned during Small Business Saturday to the Regional Food Distribution Association.
Gendron said Wilderness Supply has worked with the RFDA in the past and she is confident that the support it receives will go towards helping those most in need.
“We all need to eat,” she said. “It’s an essential part of our lives and too many people don’t have access to that. We wanted to the help them.”
“I think it’s important to support our community because that is who supports us, without our community we have nothing, so it makes sense for us to give back to them when we can.”
Brendan Carlin, community services manager with the RFDA, said he wasn’t even aware of Small Business Saturday before being approached by Wilderness Supply, but he is grateful to see a local business reaching out to help fill area food banks.
“For us its important to have any partners that make it easier for our supporters to donate or support our cause,” he said. “Small businesses are such a big part of our community and we love small business and we are appreciative for the support that they have shown us.”
This is the busiest time of year for the RDFA, Carlin continued, as more people are forced to turn to food banks during the holiday season.
“But it is also a time that we also receive a lot of support and donations as well, so we are looking forward to another good holiday season for us and our member food banks,” Carlin said.
In addition to all the proceeds being donated to the RFDA, customers are also encouraged bring food items for donation as well. The RFDA will be at Wilderness Supply on Saturday until 5 p.m. Gendron said food items will still be accepted at Wilderness Supply for donation to the RFDA at anytime.
“The more our community can do for itself the better,” she said.