Spencer Pickles/Black Press Victoria
It’s the first annual Poutine Week in Victoria, and these fries are for sharing.
Thanks to an initiative by Mealshare and Poutine with Purpose, every poutine purchased between Oct. 16 and 22 at participating restaurants in Greater Victoria will also provide a meal for a child in need here in the local area.
“One in five kids is living below the poverty line in B.C. and are in danger of being malnourished,” says Derek Juno, Vice President of Business Development at Mealshare. “There are a lot of kids going to school without breakfast, a lot of kids going to school without lunch and that really shouldn’t be happening in our country.”
Giving back really is as easy as eating poutine. You can spread the word by posting photos of your poutine on Instagram with the hashtags #poutinewithpurpose and #poutineweekYYJ, and get a chance to win four tickets to Flying Squirrel Trampoline Park.
And if the traditional fries, cheese curds, and gravy aren’t your favourite, there’s plenty of exotic poutine items on the menu at more than seventeen partner restaurants throughout Victoria.
Q Bar at The Empress has created a duck confit poutine, winter lobster poutine is available at Blue Crab Seafood House; you can even get vegan poutine at Very Good Butchers, which is made with barbecue jackfruit bacon and imitation mozzarella.
“It doesn’t matter what kind of restaurant you are. Every restaurant can do poutine,” Juno says.
The meals provided during Poutine Week will go to children at George Jay Elementary, with help from the Breakfast Club of Canada.
“It really provides that guarantee [to parents] that their child is going to get a nutritious meal,” says Lori Elder, Mealshare’s Community Leader in Victoria. “It really is making a difference locally for kids.”
And if you can’t make it this week, not to worry. Mealshare partners year-round with eleven restaurants in Victoria on a buy-one-give-one model.
“When you go to one of our restaurant partners, look for menu items with the Mealshare logo. When you order one of those items, one meal is provided to a youth in need locally or internationally,” Edler says.
Mealshare has served over 1.6 million meals since it began in 2013. It partners with local charities in cities across Canada as well as internationally in places like Mali and South Africa.