The big novelty check was only the tip of the iceberg for a story that started more than three years ago.
The Sydney Call Center donated $50,000 on Friday to four community food banks. The money was divided equally, with $12,500 for the Glace Bay, New Waterford and Northside food banks, as well as Loaves & Fishes in Sydney.
Call center staff came up with the money through payroll deductions and fundraisers.
“For us, it’s all about giving back. We were there ourselves three years ago,” said Rick Ward, vice-president of operations at the Sydney Call Centre.
Ward was referring to a rollercoaster ride that made national headlines back in December 2018.
On Dec. 6 of that year, the call center — then owned by ServiCom — abruptly closed, leaving nearly 700 people without a job just before the holidays.
The following month, in what seemed like a Christmas miracle, the call center reopened under new ownership.
Community members rallied around the employees and their families in the meantime, with donations of food, Christmas presents, and money to see them through.
“We were in a very tough position, and the community rallied around us and picked us up,” Ward said. “We learned a lot of lessons from that and the impact it had for us, so we wanted to give back.”
The choice of the food banks for the big donation was particularly timely. The annual rate of inflation hit 6.7 per cent in March — the fastest year-over-year increase in about 31 years. Charitable organizations have been seeing the firsthand the impact on the people they serve.
“Well it’s going to make a big difference, especially with the price of food today,” said Cathy Timmons, coordinator of the New Waterford Food Bank.
“The numbers are increasing. We get new (clients) all the time. Every month, there’s a few more join and we’re really appreciative of all this money.”
The food bank representatives knew they were coming for a check presentation but the exact amount was a surprise.
“Seeing their faces when we announced the actual amount, the $50,000, and that they were getting the $12,500 for each group, it just brings it all back home to how great we felt when we knew all the support that we were getting from the community ,” said Cathy Harris, Sydney Call Center director of operations.