Shaw Centre partners with Mealshare Ottawa to tackle youth hunger

_ Photo credit: Shaw Centre via Facebook _ _ (press release) _ ** Ottawa, ON July 12, 2016 ** – The Shaw Centre is pleased to announce that it has signed on as a founding supporter of Mealshare Ottawa, the local chapter of a national charity working to end youth hunger. Shaw Centre has committed $5000 towards Mealshare’s startup costs until the Ottawa unit reaches self-sufficiency in late 2017. ** Related: ** Mealshare launches in Ottawa to provide meals to homeless and at-risk youth. The Centre has also opted to extend its involvement as it prepares to launch its exciting new menu by giving meeting organizers the opportunity, when planning their event, to not only select meals for their delegates but also provide meals to youth in need through Mealshare. This support will in turn contribute to growing the program to provide even more meals to disadvantaged youth in the future.

“When Mealshare invited us to help with their Ottawa launch, we didn’t hesitate to say yes,” says Nina Kressler, President of the Shaw Centre. “Theirs is an exceptional model for a charity and they have a proven track record of success, having made tremendous strides towards eradicating youth hunger. We are optimistic that with the support of many of our generous clients who will appreciate the option to assist Mealshare Ottawa, we will collaboratively be able to deliver great dividends to this innovative program. We are so pleased to be able to help this charity in a meaningful way.”

“Having the support of a large organization like the Shaw Centre is incredibly important for Mealshare as we establish ourselves in Ottawa,” explains Mealshare co-founder Jeremy Bryant. “The Centre’s generous financial support will enable us to start distributing meals to youth in need more quickly. In addition, having the Shaw Centre facilitate donations from its clients means so many more people will become aware of the important charitable work we are doing. We are so grateful that the Centre recognizes the effectiveness and potential of Mealshare in Ottawa."

The funds collected locally by Mealshare through the generosity of sponsors and participating restaurants are being allocated to Operation Come Home. Across Canada, Mealshare works with organizations that help kids experience transformative change and break the cycle of poverty. Locally, Mealshare hopes to have more than two dozen participating restaurants in Ottawa by Labour Day.

“Everyone at the Shaw Centre is impressed by how Mealshare is creating a movement by making giving as easy as possible and we are excited to help them continue their good work,” adds Nina. ** About Shaw Centre ** The Shaw Centre was founded as the Ottawa Congress Centre in 1983. With project funding from the Province of Ontario, the City of Ottawa and the Government of Canada, the Ottawa Congress Centre was redeveloped into a new larger facility, which opened in April 2011 as the Ottawa Convention Centre (OCC). In October 2014, the OCC and Shaw Communications entered into a 10 year partnership, rebranding the facility as the Shaw Centre. The Shaw Centre is a state-of-the-art convention centre that generates economic impact by hosting conventions, trade shows, meetings, consumer shows and events. The Shaw Centre was recently named runner-up as the world’s best convention centre by the International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC). Since opening its doors in 2011, the Shaw Centre has hosted over 2000 events and has added approximately $300M to the Ottawa-Gatineau area and Province of Ontario. The Ottawa Convention Centre® Corporation is an agency of the Government of Ontario. ** About Mealshare ** Mealshare is a non-profit organization which was launched in July 2013 in Calgary, and then quickly expanded across Canada. Its mission is to end youth hunger. Currently, Mealshare is partnered with over 250+ food service organizations in 30 communities. To date, Mealshare has provided over 765,000 meals to those in need. To learn more, please visit www.mealshare.ca.