TORONTO — Craft Beer Market launched delivery and curbside pickup at select locations in conjunction with #TakeOutDay on April 15 in the hopes of hiring back some of its team, as well as providing meals to children in need in the community.
“This has been devastating for our team, our business and all of our partners and suppliers,” says PJ L’Heureux, president and founder of Craft Beer Market. “Our hopes in safely resuming business through curbside pickup and delivery is to get some of those people back working and doing what we love most.”
Craft has also set up a Team Member Support fund with 100 per cent of all gift card and apparel sales going to assist team members in urgent need.
With this launch, customers are now able to order growlers of beer for pick up or delivery. A rotating selection of local and international favourites will be available. The restaurants are currently offering a specialty menu featuring some of its classic items, as well as new offerings. New items will be added weekly.
“We know people are craving a sense of normalcy and we hope we can provide a little bit of that through our food and beer,” says L’Heureux. “We look forward to getting back to the way things were as soon as safely possible.”
The ripple effect of restaurants closing has impacted suppliers, as well as community and charity partners that work closely with the industry, including Mealshare. The charities the Mealshare program supports have seen a dramatic increase in demand for their services.
In recognition of this, Craft is giving guests the opportunity to buy meals for youth and children in need for a contribution of $5. The brand is matching that with another $5 and together will be able to provide 10 meals to a child in need that would have received that nutrition through breakfast or lunch programs at school, after-school or weekend initiatives with their neighborhood clubs.
“Lots of us are hurting right now. But, if we’re hurting, that means the vulnerable families and kids we help are surely experiencing even tougher times,” says Andrew Hall, co-founder, Mealshare Aid Society. “It’s really important that we all keep giving where we can, as the need is greater than ever. We appreciate Craft for keeping this in mind.” Charities that will benefit from this partnership include Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids, Food for Thought in Kelowna, B.C., Operation Come Home in Ottawa, Kidsafe in Vancouver and The Stop in Toronto. To date Craft has provided more than 67,000 meals through its partnership with Mealshare.
