On Friday, September, 21st 2018, Ottawa and the surrounding area experienced something never before seen in the National Capital Region (NCR). Environment Canada confirmed that six tornados touched down in the NCR with speeds reaching up to 265 km/h, also known as an EF3 tornado. Ottawa’s Nepean neighbourhood, Gatineau, and Dunrobin were hit the hardest, however many neighbourhoods experienced excessive damage. Several homes, businesses, and schools were leveled, up to 100 families are without homes, and up to 170,000 people were left without power – some for several days.
CLV Group and InterRent properties in Ottawa’s west end and downtown were among those affected by the storm. The site staff at the properties worked tirelessly over the weekend to help residents who needed assistance. Unfortunately, because of the various power outages, many people lost large quantities of perishable foods, this includes food agencies supplied by the Ottawa Food Bank. The Ottawa Food Bank supplies food for over 112 agencies throughout the NCR, 47% of which is fresh food. The massive loss of food placed many of the agencies concentrated in the west end and downtown to lose hundreds of pounds of fresh food critical to families in need.
CLV Group and InterRent wanted to do whatever we could to help. From Tuesday, September 25th to Friday September 28th, we organized a site-wide food drive in effort to raise funds and donations to support the relief efforts. Staff and residents from our offices and buildings unaffected by the storms generously donated non-perishable food and critical supplies to the Ottawa Food Bank. In just a couple of days, we were able to donate 1200 lbs of food and supplies – our largest donation to date.
In addition to the donations collected, CLV Group and InterRent donated $50,000.00 to the Ottawa Food Bank to help replenish lost supply. Every $1.00 raised by the Ottawa Food Bank is equal to $5.00, which means that $250,000.00 of food will find its way to those who need it most.
We are inspired to be part of a community that has shown such compassion in this time of crisis. Bettering our communities is a pillar in our values, and with the continued support of our staff and residents, we look forward to continuing on this mission and are proud to be part of this community.
Thank you to all who generously donated time, money, and food toward the relief efforts. If you would like to donate further, monetary donations can be accepted at www.ottawafoodbank.com or visit their warehouse at 1317 Michael Street, Ottawa, Ontario.
