Written By Brian Lockhart

Sobey's, the parent company of Foodland Grocery Stores put out a challenge to Foodland management to raise funds in support of Child and Youth Mental Health, and customers responded – $2 at time – by donating when they were buying their groceries.

Shelburne Foodland managed to raise $2,700 through customer and corporate donations.

Child and Youth Mental Health works through a family of support systems that include the Children's Health Foundation, CHEO Foundation supporting those with suicidal thoughts, the McMaster Children's hospital Foundation, and the SickKids Foundation.

Each support system helps young people who are suffering from mental health issues and provides programs for youth who are at risk.

“For the past five weeks we've been collected $2 from everyone who wanted to donate,” explained Shelburne Foodland owner, Sandy Bell. “It's a Sobey's initiative and every Foodland in Canada is doing it. We had a goal in mind – which was $2,700. We reached three-quarters of the goal. That's when Shakir, from Flato Developments, matched what the difference was.”

Joe Medeiros, representing Flato Developments, came to the store on Monday (Oct. 4), and presented a cheque for $800.

“We wanted to help,” Mr. Medeiros said. “We saw they still had a ways to go to fulfill that goal so we decided to top it up so they could reach that goal.”

The Mental Health program works on such programs as new innovative psychotherapy, helping improve family communications and reduce conflict, a program that helps kids better regulate their emotions, a program to provide timely mental health assessments for youth, and a program supporting youth who are at risk of developing psychosis.