Day of Caring Turns into Years of Giving for the Homeless
Total E&P Canada has initiated a new partnership with the Calgary Urban Projects Society
(CUPS) to provide furniture for low income families. The Calgary non-profit organization has a Rapid Exit Program which helps homeless families move from emergency shelters to long-term permanent housing.
In December 2009, Total donated enough furniture to CUPS to ensure ten low income Calgary families had their own beds to sleep on at Christmas time. Furnishings for another five homes were donated in January 2010.
Total has decided to continue with donations on an ongoing basis. "That is absolutely fabulous. I cannot tell you how wonderful that is," said Amanda St. Laurent, Project Manager for the Rapid Exit Program.
The donated furniture was originally purchased for Total E&P Canada’s expat employees, and was being stored in a local warehouse. By donating the furniture to CUPS, low income families get a fresh start.
Total’s generosity is almost overwhelming. It seems like a small thing to the rest of us, but for these families it really is the difference between just having four walls and being able to make it a home. It’s something they probably wouldn't be able to achieve on their own for a very long time. It means a lot.
Amanda St. Laurent, Project Manager for CUPS Rapid Exit Program
The genesis for the CUPS donation came from Total’s first "Day of Caring" in May. Sixty Total employees spent a half day volunteering at ten community organizations including CUPS. "The Rapid Exit furniture donation was a great chance to save on storage costs while helping a community that needs us. That’s what creating value is all about," said Albert Elliott, VP of Human Resources, Communications and Administration.
