Joint donation of $100,000 made to the Bartenders Benevolent
Fund
TORONTO, April 24, 2020 /CNW/ - The COVID-19 pandemic has
hit all Canadians hard, not the least of which are workers in the
food and hospitality sector.
In true Canadian fashion, two of Canada's biggest spirits companies are joining
together to provide support to displaced workers in this sector.
Corby Spirit and Wine Limited and Diageo Canada are partnering to
donate $100,000 to the Bartenders
Benevolent Fund.
"We remain committed to supporting our industry employees
across Canada," said Patrick O'Driscoll, Chief Executive Officer of
Corby. "We are proud to join our industry partner in an effort to
make a difference by providing financial assistance to hospitality
employees across Canada."
"We are experiencing an incredibly challenging time in the
Canadian hospitality industry," said Jodi
Rumble, VP, General Manager, Diageo Canada. "Through this
joint effort, Diageo Canada is proud to further our commitment to
supporting the hardworking community of bartenders, bar staff and
front-line workers across the country."
The hospitality sector has been reeling since the COVID-19
outbreak reached Canada. As one of
the first industries to feel its impacts, Restaurants Canada
estimates some 800,000 bartenders, servers, hosts and kitchen staff
have been put out of work since March
1 as restaurants and bars across the country have been
forced to shut down or, at the very least, offer patrons take-out
only options.
That equates to about two-thirds of the workforce in the
foodservice sector being put out of work — and does not include
hotel and lodging staff who have also been laid off.
The Bartenders Benevolent Fund offers emergency assistance to
front-of-house hospitality staff who have fallen under serious
financial hardship.
"Not only is this contribution to the Bartenders Benevolent Fund
extremely generous, it is an incredible statement that two of the
biggest spirits companies in Canada have come together to offer this sum in
solidarity, leading the way together. 'We are all in this together'
has never felt so true as it does today due to this action by our
friends and partners at Corby and Diageo Canada. We are so grateful
that they're helping us to support our hospitality industry." said
Jon Gray, co-founder of the
Bartenders Benevolent Fund.
For more information or to donate to the Fund, please visit
bartendersbenevolentfund.ca/#donate. Website, Instagram, Facebook,
LinkedIn. Join the conversation on social media with the hashtag
#StrongerTogether.
About the Bartenders Benevolent Fund
Created in 2013,
the Bartenders Benevolent Fund is a non-profit financial resource
for bartenders, servers and Front-of-House support staff working in
the hospitality industry in Canada. We provide funding for those who have
fallen under serious financial hardship and our mission is to work
in earnest to ensure that those in need can make ends meet. The
Bartenders Benevolent Fund's mandate is to offer support to the
hospitality industry, by the hospitality industry: our funds are
awarded anonymously by local hospitality professionals from each
market. For more information, please visit
bartendersbenevolentfund.ca.
About Corby Spirit and Wine
Corby Spirit and Wine Limited is a leading Canadian manufacturer,
marketer and distributor of spirits and wines. Corby's portfolio of
owned-brands includes some of the most renowned brands in
Canada, including J.P. Wiser's®,
Lot 40®, and Pike Creek® Canadian whiskies, Lamb's® rum, Polar Ice®
vodka, McGuinness® liqueurs, Ungava® gin, Cabot Trail® maple-based
liqueurs and Chic Choc® Spiced rum, and Foreign Affair® wines.
Through its affiliation with Pernod Ricard S.A., a global leader in
the spirits and wine industry, Corby also represents leading
international brands such as ABSOLUT® vodka, Chivas Regal®, The
Glenlivet® and Ballantine's® Scotch whiskies, Jameson® Irish
whiskey, Beefeater® gin, Malibu® rum, Kahlúa® liqueur, Mumm®
champagne, and Jacob's Creek®, Wyndham Estate®, Stoneleigh®, Campo
Viejo®, and Kenwood® wines. Corby is a publicly traded company
based in Toronto, Ontario, and
listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbols
CSW.A and CSW.B. For further information, please visit our
website or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter.
About Diageo
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an
outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and
Buchanan's whiskies, Smirnoff,
Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.Diageo is
listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London
Stock Exchange (DGE) and our products are sold in more than 180
countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, our
people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com.
Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking resource,
www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives and ways to share
best practice.
Follow us on Twitter for news and information about Diageo North
America: @Diageo_NA.
SOURCE Corby Spirit and Wine Communications