Residents, family, friends and staff at All Seniors Care Living Centres celebrated the September 9th international Grandparents Day with a unique twist. Amongst the party atmosphere, big band music, great food and camaraderie was a special commitment to helping in the fight against hunger across Canada.

Earlier this year the federal government announced that production of the iconic copper penny was ending on September 1st. All Seniors Care Event Planner, Ronna Goldberg, saw a great opportunity for our residents to reflect on the impact the penny has had on our society and raise money for local food banks across the country. Penny collections began in August at all 18 All Seniors Care Living Centres when residents, their families, and members of the community began bringing jars of pennies to make special wishes for a happy future.

“Find a penny, pick it up, and all the day you’ll have good luck.
Give a penny to a friend and your luck will never end.”

The 1940’s themed events included swing music, penny candy, games and a sharing of wisdom in celebration of the Grandparent’s importance to the family structure. “I love bringing our community together, and giving back really makes everyone feel good,” says Jessica Lynch, the Director of Health and Wellness at College Park Retirement Residence. Team College Park earned bragging right for the year by raising $752.50 and topping all other residences across the country.

The penny collectors will weigh each building’s pennies, (60 pounds equals a $100.00 donation) and cheques will be presented to each of the food banks. Roger Bourbonnais, Directeur Général – La Soupière de l’Amitié de Gatineau very appreciatively stated “The Pennies Event was a warm success at the Residences de la Gappe and Grandparents Day was a good opportunity for a fundraiser event. Please be assured that the pennies will be well spent to fight poverty.”

Grandparents Day is always fun, festive and great family but this year we really wanted to do something special. Joshua Kuhl, Senior Executive Vice President summed the event up nicely, “When you look back at the day we celebrated being a Grandparent with over 3,000 people, collected 3,225 pounds of pennies and raised $5,379.87 to help fight hunger in Canada. I think we can be truly proud of our entire organization and residents.”

Follow all of our Grandparents Day stories and more on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/allseniorscare

Please also see local stories at the following links:

pinching-pennies-for-the-food-bank
edmonton-seniors-digging-deep-for-food-bank-by-collecting-pennies
www.saskatoonfoodbank.org
residents-off-their-two-cents-on-pennys-demise
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2013/02/04/mb-villa-rosa-penny-charities.html