Food Banks Canada Is Dedicated to Assisting Canadians Living with Food Insecurity, in Collaboration with the Country’S Food Bank Network

Principal Investigator: Audrey Wubbenhorst Research Assistants: Nikita Ravi and Robert Van Horne Funded by:

Last updated: May 19, 2020 OVERVIEW

Food Banks Canada is dedicated to assisting Canadians living with food insecurity, in collaboration with the country’s food bank network. The organization is focused on maximizing collective impact, strengthening local capacity and reducing the need for food banks.

The organization directly supports 630 food banks across the country and indirectly supports 2,300 others. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Food Banks Canada saw supplies were quickly running out due to an increase in food bank visits. On March 18, 2020, Food Banks Canada sent out a call for $150 million in donations to combat the impact of COVID-19. On April 26, 2020, Insight Productions Ltd., in collaboration with the four major Canadian broadcast networks and Food Banks Canada, brought prominent Canadians and the creator community together to produce Stronger Together; a virtual salute to front-line workers while raising funds to support Food Bank Canada’s COVID-19 relief efforts. These Canadians included artists, actors, athletes and activists.

The following case study outlines the planning, communications, public response and overall outcome of Food Banks Canada’s Stronger Together program. Website and Social Media Accounts

foodbankscanada.ca @foodbankscanada strongertogethercanada.ca @insightproductions insighttv.com

@foodbankscanada @foodbankscanada @strongercanada @strongercanada @insightprod @insight.productions

@foodbankscanada @foodbankscanada @insightproductionstv

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Food Banks Canada puts out call for $150 million amid COVID-19 pandemic

On March 18, 2020, Food Banks Canada sent out a news release urging Canadians to make monetary donations, with the goal of raising $150 million. The organization explained that many food banks only keep enough stock for only 10 to 14 days for usual clients and that, due to the economic impact of COVID-19, numbers were expected to rise.

As stated in the March 18 release, the donations were to be put towards: Providing local food banks with resources to adapt client delivery processes Managing demand with a decrease in volunteer resources Purchasing much needed staples Helping clients in quarantine by providing essential food supports to them

With many Canadians stockpiling two weeks of essentials, Food Banks Canada CEO Chris Hatch explained that for individuals struggling with food insecurity this was not financially possible. It was also predicted that the country would enter a recession following the pandemic, which would continue to accelerate the number of food bank visits across Canada. A full copy of the March 18, 2020 release from Food Banks Canada can be found in Appendix A.

Image source: Food Banks Canada

F o r m o r e c a s e s t u d i e s , p l e a s e v i s i t : c o v i d 1 9 c o m m u n i c a t i o n s . c a 0 4 Canadian organizations unite to plan Stronger Together

Before the event planning began, Insight Productions, along with the four major networks, had to decide which not-for-profit organization would be its partner. Covid19communications.ca had the opportunity to interview Food Banks Canada’s Chief Development Partnerships Officer, Tania Little. Little stated that she was elated that Food Banks Canada was the unanimous choice for the partnership amongst the deciding group. More excerpts from the interview can be found on pages 12-13.

The entirety of Stronger Together was planned and produced within a two and a half week period. The team at Insight Productions approached major broadcast networks across Canada with a proposal to air the production, commercial-free, on radio, television and on- demand networks. The four major Canadian broadcasting networks (Bell Media, CBC/Radio Canada, Corus Entertainment, Group V Media, Rogers Sports & Media) agreed to air the program, taking no profits, across all media outlets. Little reported that within the span of five days, around 25 networks were confirmed to show the broadcast and by the time the program went live, there were over 360 streaming platforms on board. A full list of broadcast channels can be found in Appendix B.

Securing talent for the broadcast was an easy task for the team. Once people began to get engaged with the project, the creator community, along with well-known Canadians, were calling and asking to get involved. There was no buy-in for any of the individuals who participated. Those interested stated that they wanted a way to thank front-line workers and support their communities. Some of the talent confirmed by April 23 included: Celine Dion, Tessa Virtue, Will Arnett, Serge Ibaka and the cast of Schitt’s Creek.

F o r m o r e c a s e s t u d i e s , p l e a s e v i s i t : c o v i d 1 9 c o m m u n i c a t i o n s . c a 0 5 Stronger Together takes to social media to debut its star-studded line-up

On April 22, 2020, Stronger Together began to launch its social media channels. The first post on its Instagram page (Figure 1.1) was simply announcing the event and the main networks it would be broadcasted on. On Twitter, the first tweet (Figure 1.2) took place the following day with more information on the purpose of the event along with the date and time. All tweets were published in English and French and used the hashtags #StrongerTogether and #TousEnsemble.

FIGURE 1.1 FIGURE 1.2 First post on the @strongercanada First post on the @strongercanada Instagram page from April 22, 2020 Twitter page from April 23, 2020

Bell Media led the creation of a Stronger Together website dedicated solely to the event. The website featured a list of confirmed participants, a brief description of the event, as well as links to its social media accounts. It was updated regularly with what television and radio networks the public would be able to tune-in from. It also provided a list of streaming services that would have access to the show.

F o r m o r e c a s e s t u d i e s , p l e a s e v i s i t : 0 6 c o v i d 1 9 c o m m u n i c a t i o n s . c a By April 23, Stronger Together had more than four dozen confirmed Canadian icons for the broadcast. The full list of Canadians who participated in Stronger Together can be found in Appendix C.

This was set to be the biggest multinational broadcast in Canadian history.

Website and by-text donation services overwhelmed with traffic

Prior to airing, Food Banks Canada made sure to get extra bandwidth to support the expected increase in traffic and brought in a second server. The team notified banks and payment processors of the fundraiser to limit the number of transactions being marked as suspicious. Despite this, Food Banks Canada experienced an influx of donations, causing its systems to malfunction.

The system was set up to accept donations through text or by visiting the Food Banks Canada - Stronger Together giving page. The methods of donation were to be displayed in a banner (Figure 1.3) periodically throughout the 90-minute special. After working together over the two week period, Insight Productions wanted to ensure that Food Banks Canada got as much support as possible and made the decision to display the banner for a majority of the show.

FIGURE 1.3 Stronger Together broadcast with donation banner at the bottom of the screen

F o r m o r e c a s e s t u d i e s , p l e a s e v i s i t : c o v i d 1 9 c o m m u n i c a t i o n s . c a 0 7 Within the first 20 minutes of the special, over 50,000 people tried to make a donation. Little explained that she first realized something was wrong when she saw a tweet saying that the online system was not working. Shortly after, she saw another tweet from viewers who did not get a response when trying to donate through text. A tweet was promptly sent out, through @StrongerCanada, explaining the error (Figure 1.4).

Thankfully, in true Canadian nature, a majority of tweets following this were focused on how amazing it was that Canadians from coast-to- coast had “broken” the donation links simply because of their enormous generosity. Figure 1.5 shows examples of this response from the public.

In order to accommodate for the influx of donations, 24 employees of Food Banks Canada began answering the phone to help intake donations. It was through this teamwork and dedication that viewers were able to call in and donate. FIGURE 1.4 Tweet from @StrongerCanada explaining the reason for the malfunction

FIGURE 1.5 Public response to the Stronger Together Canada website being overwhelmed with donation traffic

F o r m o r e c a s e s t u d i e s , p l e a s e v i s i t : 0 8 c o v i d 1 9 c o m m u n i c a t i o n s . c a Additionally, following the broadcast, Food Banks Canada had seven employees dedicated to taking donations, over the phone over the next five business days, for individuals who could not get through on the day of. Little said that phones continued to ring for 12 hours each day the week following the broadcast.

On April 29, Food Banks Canada released an apology for the systems error on its social media channels thanking Canadians for their “unprecedented generosity” and providing information on how people who were unable to get through on the day-of could donate (Figure 1.6).

FIGURE 1.6 April 29, 2020 tweets from @foodbankscanada explaining that its systems were overwhelmed during the broadcast and where viewers could donate

Image source: Food Banks Canada

F o r m o r e c a s e s t u d i e s , p l e a s e v i s i t : 0 9 c o v i d 1 9 c o m m u n i c a t i o n s . c a Stars come together for touching “Lean on Me” tribute following Stronger Together

Stronger Together concluded with a touching performance to salute front- line workers and raise money for the Canadian Red Cross. This was organized by ArtistsCAN, an initiative raising funds for COVID-19 relief, created by Canadians Tyler Shaw and Fefe Dobson. Several artists came together to perform a cover of the late Bill Withers’ Lean on Me.

Upon hearing that Stronger Together was in the works, ArtistsCAN, through Sony Canada, approached the four networks who were happy to have them join the cause.

The song was available for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube immediately following the conclusion of the show. It was also frequently played on radio stations across Canada following the broadcast.

The end of the video featured a thank you message to artists and icons who participated (Figure 1.7) as well as a brief message of encouragement and thanks from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

FIGURE 1.7 Special thank you message to the participants of the Lean on Me tribute video

F o r m o r e c a s e s t u d i e s , p l e a s e v i s i t : c o v i d 1 9 c o m m u n i c a t i o n s . c a 1 0 Stronger Together raises over $8 million for Food Banks Canada to-date

On May 1, 2020, Stronger Together reported through its Twitter page that more than $8 million had been raised for Food Banks Canada (Figure 1.8). This was the largest amount raised through a charitable television special in the country. Donations raised through text totalled $1.6 million, making it the highest amount raised through this method.

FIGURE 1.8 May 1, 2020 tweet from @StrongerCanada with an update of total funds raised through Stronger Together

Stronger Together was a record-breaking venture for Insight Productions, the four major network partners and Food Banks Canada, but more importantly it brought Canadians together at a time when many were feeling isolated. The program was something that resonated with viewers of all ages and will continue to be recognized as an example of the kindness that unites Canadians from coast to coast. It also shows that in times of crisis competing organizations can come together for a common goal, proving that we are all stronger together.

F o r m o r e c a s e s t u d i e s , p l e a s e v i s i t : 1 1 c o v i d 1 9 c o m m u n i c a t i o n s . c a Interview with Tania Little, Food Banks Canada

Nikita Ravi, Covid19communications.ca, interviewed Chief Development Partnerships Officer Tania Little, Food Banks Canada. Ravi asked Little about the unexpected challenges and what factors led to the event's success. Below are some key questions from the interview.

Q. "It goes without saying that Stronger Together was a success on so many levels, from fundraising to unity. What do you think was the main component that contributed to the level of success achieved?"

A. "I truly feel it was the desire and willingness of the media partners who took time to include our feedback in their vision and were so open to deep collaboration by inviting other voices in . The genuine respect between organizations that would traditionally be seen as competitors throughout the process proved that, with kindness and resilience, Canadians really are stronger together."

Q. "Were there any unexpected challenges that you had to deal with when executing this event?"

A. "When our donation systems shut down due to the overwhelming traffic during the broadcast, everyone on our team immediately offered to help. It showed how uniquely Canadian this event was. The public didn’t get upset with us, they were moved to see that their generosity had essentially overwhelmed our system. They took pride in causing system disruptions as evidenced through social media comments."

F o r m o r e c a s e s t u d i e s , p l e a s e v i s i t : c o v i d 1 9 c o m m u n i c a t i o n s . c a 1 2 Interview with Tania Little, Food Banks Canada contd.

Q. "Was it difficult to convince competing television networks to collaborate on this project?"

Q. "Will some of the methods Food Banks Canada are resorting to during the pandemic going to remain part of regular operations?"

A. "Across Canada, food banks have always been working with extra cautions in place as we work everyday with vulnerable communities. We will continue to abide by all the best practices and adjust operations to adhere to guidelines that we Public Health Agency of Canada sets. The methods we have had to put in place during the pandemic are challenging to continue serving the amount of Canadians in need, especially with reduced staff and volunteers, and while practicing social distancing. However, we will continue to look for ways to protect our public, staff and volunteers that are viable in the long-term."

F o r m o r e c a s e s t u d i e s , p l e a s e v i s i t : c o v i d 1 9 c o m m u n i c a t i o n s . c a 1 3 Appendix A

March 18, 2020 release from Food Banks Canada

Food Banks Canada Puts Call Out for $150M in Donations to Deal with the Impact of Coronavirus

TORONTO, ON – March 18, 2020 – As concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic grow, Food Banks Canada is worried about the shortage of food supplies and loss of volunteers they desperately rely on due to adherence to social distancing guidelines. Many food banks across the network have food in stock to cover just 10 to 14 days for existing food bank clients, let alone the anticipated rise in demand that will result from the economic impact of coronavirus.

That is why Food Banks Canada is urging Canadians to make monetary donations at foodbankscanada.ca, with the goal of raising $150 million in donations. According to HungerCount 2019, an annual report released by Food Banks Canada that analyzes data from 4,934 food banks across Canada, Canadians already make more than one million visits to food banks every month. By raising $150M in donations, Food Banks Canada will be able to provide local food banks with the resourcing needed to adapt their client delivery processes, manage demand with a decrease in volunteer resources, purchase much needed staples and help clients in quarantine situations by providing essential food supports to them in home.

Food Banks Canada CEO Chris Hatch is urging people to make a financial contribution if they can to help restore the food supply. "I’m asking all Canadians to donate to food banks. It is vital to the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people who depend on them."

Hatch continues, “While the public is being advised to buy two weeks worth of supplies to keep at home in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus, for vulnerable Canadians who rely on our services each and every month that’s just not financially possible. If frenzied stockpiling is what we’re seeing now during this period of uncertainty, then what happens should a recession hit? It would spell disaster for potentially millions of Canadians.”

F o r m o r e c a s e s t u d i e s , p l e a s e v i s i t : c o v i d 1 9 c o m m u n i c a t i o n s . c a 1 4 Appendix B

List of broadcast channels that aired Stronger Together Source: strongertogethercanada.ca

ORIGINAL BROADCAST PARTNERS:STRONGER TOGETHER, TOUS ENSEMBLE originally aired in English and French on Sunday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. across all markets/7 p.m. NT.

TV: ABC Spark, ATN HD, ATN LIFE, ATN PUNJABI PLUS, ATN PM ONE, ATN TAMIL (JAYA TV), ATN GUJARATI, ATN BANGLA, ATN CRICKET PLUS, ATN FOOD, APTN, A Side, BBC EARTH, CBC, Citytv, Cottage Life, CP24, CTV, CTV2, ICI ARTV, Family Channel, FX, Global, HIFI, Hollywood Suite 2000s, Love Nature, Makeful, MUCH, MTV, National Geographic, NTV, OMNI Television, OUTv, SériesPlus, Slice, Smithsonian Channel Canada, Stingray Hits, Stingray Retro, Super Channel Fuse, TSN, Unis TV, V, VRAK

Streaming: CBC.ca, CBC Gem, CBC Listen app, CTV.ca, CTV app, Citytv.com, ETCanada.com, GlobalNews.ca, Global TV app, GlobalTV.com, iHeartRadio.ca, iHeartRadio Canada app, Stingray Music apps

Radio: Acadia Broadcasting, Artic Radio, Bell Media, Blackburn, Bob, Boom, Byrnes Media, CBC Music, CBC Radio One, Coast, Cogeco, Connelly Communications, Country FM, Dougall Media, EZ Rock, First Peoples Radio, Harvard, Juice FM, Manitoulin Radio, Moose FM, MyFM, Pattison, Peace River Broadcasting, Quinte Broadcasting, Rawlco, Rogers, Sirius XM Channel 169, Stingray, The Breeze, The Verge, Sirius XM, Virgin Radio, VistaNational Campus & Community Radio Assoc.

On Demand: CBC Gem, Crave, CTV.ca, CTV app, Global TV App, GlobalTV.com, ICI TOU.TV, iHeartRadio.ca, iHeartRadio Canada app, Stingray Qello, Super Channel On Demand

F o r m o r e c a s e s t u d i e s , p l e a s e v i s i t : c o v i d 1 9 c o m m u n i c a t i o n s . c a 1 5 Appendix C

Full list of Stronger Together participants Source: strongertogethercanada.ca

Alessia Cara, Amy Poehler, Andre De Grasse, Annie Murphy, Anne Murray, Arkells, Avril Lavigne, Bad Child, Barenaked Ladies, Bianca Andreescu, Bryan Adams, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Burton Cummings, Catherine O’Hara, Celine Dion, Charlotte Cardin, Chris Elliott, Chris Hadfield, Christine Sinclair, Cirque du Soleil, Command Sisters, Connor McDavid, Dallas Green, Dan Kanter, Dan Levy, David Foster, David Suzuki, Desiire, Donovan Woods, Drake, Dustin Milligan, Emily Hampshire, Eric McCormack, Eugene Levy, Fefe Dobson, Geddy Lee, Georges St-Pierre, Hamza Haq, Hayley Wickenheiser, Howie Mandel, Jann Arden, Jason Priestley, Jenn Robertson, John Hemphill, Johnny Orlando, Josh Ramsay, Justin Bieber, Karen Robinson, Kiefer Sutherland, Lilly Singh, Margaret Atwood, Marie-Mai, Measha Brueggergosman, Michael Bublé, Mike Myers, Morgan Rielly, Perry Bellegarde, Noah Reid, Olivia Lunny, Pascal Siakam, Penny Oleksiak, Randy Bachman, Rick Hansen, Rick Mercer, Rizwan Manji, Robbie Robertson, Russell Peters, Ryan Reynolds, Ryland James, Sam Roberts, Sarah Levy, Sarah McLachlan, Scott Helman, Serena Ryder, Serge Ibaka, Shania Twain, Shawn Hook, Sofia Reyes, Tessa Virtue, The, Tenors, TIKA, Tom Cochrane, Tyler Shaw, Walk off the Earth, Will Arnett, William Prince

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