Our corporate social responsibility mandate is the belief that by assisting with fundamental needs such as nutrition and financial education, children in need in our community will be able to focus on developing life skills that will give them the chance to have a better future. Food4Kids is a local charity that aligns perfectly with Tandia’s CSR mandate. On Fridays at schools where the need is identified, this charity discreetly provides a generous bag of healthy food that kids can take home, whom otherwise have limited or no food available to them on weekends. HAMILTON COOKS is the outcome of a heartfelt idea from a couple of Tandia employees who were out for lunch in downtown Hamilton, when the idea of a book highlighting the Hamilton restaurant scene and showcasing their recipes came up. As avid Food4Kids volunteers, it was easy to make the connection, take the next step and make the book a fundraiser for the charity. The process of writing and publishing a cookbook began in June 2019 and the goal was set to sell 500 books at a cost of $20 each, raising $10,000 for Food4Kids. The Marketing secured restaurant commitments, gathering bio’s and recipes and finalizing the book design. Tandia already had a relationship with Feed the Social as our social media partner, and they had many contacts and connections with local restaurants. Together they approached 15 restaurants and obtained a bio of the restaurant and a recipe contribution. Tandia also had to find some like-minded business partners to help bring the book to life. Feed the Social donated their photography skills, Laundry Design Works contributed the design and Allegra provided their printing at cost which was covered by Tandia, in order to ensure that 100% of proceeds from sales went to Food4Kids. The book was designed to showcase the restaurants and recipes inside, while clearly conveying that Tandia was the sponsor of the book and Food4Kids the beneficiary. Our marketing and printing partners were also profiled in the book for their contributions. The book was promoted starting in November as a wonderful holiday gift with 100% of the proceeds being donated to Food4Kids. It was available in all 11 Tandia retail locations as well as most of the participating restaurants. It was also showcased on Tandia’s website and social media channels including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. In addition, there was also a competition among branches for selling the most books. In total, over 1,500 copies were sold, raising $30,000 for Food4Kids from the book alone, tripling our initial goal. This influx of funds reduced the Food4Kids wait list to zero for the balance of the 2019/2020 school year. Tandia created new relationships with all of the businesses involved and our social responsibility profile in the community was raised along with all the participating restaurants. Most importantly, every community member who purchased a book helped to lessen child hunger in our community.
