Neighbours Helping Neighbours: Save-On-Foods Supports YWCA Families in Langley
Community is at the heart of everything we do at YWCA BC – and it’s a value shared by Laurie Reynolds, Assistant Store Manager at Save-On-Foods Walnut Grove, and her team in Langley BC.
After attending the opening of YWCA Peggy Mackenzie Terrace, YWCA BC’s newest housing community in Langley’s Willoughby neighbourhood, Laurie was inspired to find a way to support the women and families who would soon call it home.
“Our mission is always customers first, and the communities we serve are very important,” Laurie says.
YWCA Peggy Mackenzie Terrace provides 47 safe, affordable homes for women and children who have experienced intimate partner violence. During the opening event, Laurie learned more about the challenges many women face after leaving violence, including the struggle to secure stable housing and put food on the table.
“Finding the support of the YWCA allowed me to become independent and to build a new life with my two daughters. For the first time in a long time, we had a place we could truly call home,” says Sandra, a YWCA Housing resident. “Having safe, stable housing gave me the foundation I needed to start over, to breathe, and to begin healing.”
With three Save-On-Foods stores close to the new housing complex, it makes them practically neighbours. To welcome the new tenants to the neighbourhood, all three Save-On-Foods stores donated 68 personal care baskets and 68 non-perishable food baskets for each unit at YWCA Peggy Mackenzie Terrace and YWCA Fraser Gardens, another YWCA housing community in Langley. Each basket included essential items, along with a $50 Save-On-Foods gift card.
The donation comes at a time when many families are facing rising food costs. Across British Columbia, thousands of households experience food insecurity, with lone-parent families, women-led households and Indigenous communities disproportionately affected.
The tenants of both YWCA housing communities were thrilled to receive the gifts, with many signing cards in thanks to Save-On-Foods:
“Thank you so much for your kindness and thoughtfulness. You are so appreciated. This has helped so much. God bless,” one tenant wrote.
“Thank you for your compassion, generosity and willingness to help. It truly is appreciated,” signed another grateful recipient.
A third resident wrote, “Thank you for the gift. Perfect timing for Mother’s Day. It is really appreciated.”
For women and families rebuilding their lives, support like this goes far beyond groceries and household essentials. It sends a powerful message that their community cares and that they are not alone.
“The donation aligns with our community engagement plan, and we believe the investment we gave will come back to our Langley stores,” explains Laurie.
Thank you to Laurie Reynolds and the teams at Save-On-Foods Walnut Grove and the neighbouring Langley stores for helping welcome YWCA tenants home and for demonstrating the power of community in action.
