Canada's Greenest Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 74
74
SPONSOR CONTENT
CANADA'S GREENEST EMPLOYERS (2025)
Sysco Canada shows its care through food
F
or Robin Letto, one of
the best parts of her job
at Sysco Canada Inc. is
providing meaningful
opportunities for her
colleagues to live their employer’s
purpose of “connecting the world
to share food and care for one
another.”
— Jason Welter
Vice President Human Resources,
International Americas
butter sandwich, a granola bar
and a water bottle. The bags were
donated to local homeless shelters
for people in need. “My colleagues
just took the idea and ran with it,”
she says. “The willingness of the
team to make it work was
amazing. I can’t wait to do it next
year and find other areas of
opportunities.”
Jason Welter, vice president
human resources, international
Americas, is proud of the
increased engagement during
Purpose Month. Three years ago,
during the initiative’s first year,
employees across Canada
volunteered 6,000 hours. Last
November, they more than
doubled that to 12,700 volunteer
hours.
“All of those hours volunteering
As the human resources
manager and chair of the
company’s Ontario sustainability
committee, Letto turns her
attention each November to
supporting Sysco's Global Good
campaign during their Purpose
Month. Sysco Corporation — the
largest broadline food distributor
on the planet — has a
$500-million charitable initiative
that provides food donations,
colleague volunteer time and
financial support to hunger-relief
organizations.
“We volunteered just over 3,600
hours in Ontario last November
with a variety of organizations. We
partnered with Ontario-based
Food for Life and our team sorted
and packed almost 35,000 pounds
of food,” says Letto. “The impact
of that helped feed almost 4,000
families. We are really proud.”
Letto and her colleagues across
Ontario also assembled 2,000 food
bags, each filled with a peanut
Employees at Sysco Canada volunteer at Ronald McDonald House in Halifax during the organization’s
Purpose Month.
We use our purpose as
a guiding light and to
support a more sustainable
community.
in our community go toward our
Global Good Goal while directly
supporting our purpose,” Welter
says. “We use our purpose as a
guiding light and to support a
more sustainable community.”
Welter turns to Sysco Canada’s
sustainability committees in
different parts of the country to
drive the company’s efforts, not
only during Purpose Month but
throughout the year. “They advise
us on opportunities, and they
create energy, support and
teamwork around all our different
activities, such as identifying
community partners for
donations, supporting local
engagement initiatives, and
finding sustainable ways to
redirect food waste,” he says.
Year round, Sysco Canada
provides help through its
Nourishing Neighbours
Program. “It is our signature
program where we support
organizations in communities that
work to eliminate hunger and
make nutritious food available
where it is needed most,” Welter
says.
Last year, for example, Sysco
Canada made a $10,000 donation
to the Three Sisters Garden and
Mashkiki Gitigan (Medicine
Garden) at the Crawford Lake
Conservation Area in Milton, Ont.
The gardens are considered an
important place for healing and
education.
Sysco also partners with local
community organizations to divert
food waste from landfills. In
Peterborough, Ont., this means
