401 Members Make a Difference

UFCW Local 401 members mark 2018 holiday season with togetherness and generosity

January 10, 2019 – Calgary, AB – For UFCW Local 401 members, December 2018 was a time of action and generosity. From the gathering of clothing, presents, food, and other charitable donations to the hosting of holiday movie nights and Christmas parties for kids, UFCW Local 401 members participated in over a dozen holiday-related initiatives across the province through their union community.

“The holiday season is an important time of year, a time for family, and a time for pause and reflection,” said UFCW Local 401 President, Douglas O’Halloran. “We are so pleased that so many of our members have found their union to be a place where they can engage their communities and express their spirit of togetherness and generosity.”

Here, we share just some of the initiatives in which UFCW Local 401 members participated over the holiday season in 2018 (photos below).

In early December, the second annual Local 401 Kids’ Christmas party was held at the Local 401 Members’ Centre in Calgary, where over 150 kids and their parents got to meet Santa, eat food, participate in fun activities, and open presents.
In Medicine Hat, Local 401 members organized a free family movie night on December 4, where over 100 people showed up at the Monarch Theatre in their pajamas and enjoyed popcorn and refreshments.
In Red Deer, Local 401 members planned and held a Christmas party and movie night on December 15 that was attended by over 300 people at Carnival Cinema. They watched movies, ate pizza and candy bags, and got photos with Santa.
With cold weather approaching, Local 401 members in Hinton, Edmonton, Camrose, and Wetaskiwin held successful clothing drives throughout December to gather warm clothing for those in need in their communities.
In Grand Prairie, Theresa Jorgensen, a Local 401 Shop Steward from Superstore, gathered donations for the Odyssey House Women’s Shelter, an initiative that provided much-needed personal care items to families facing difficult situations during the holiday season and beyond.
Local 401 staff from across the province participated in holiday initiatives that gathered food bank donations and gifts for children’s charities.

In numerous small actions, to each other and in their workplaces and communities, UFCW Local 401 members make a difference every single day. Many of those actions aren’t as visible as they are in December, but they do make a difference.

Thank you

Thank you to all UFCW Local 401 members who planned, promoted, and put together all of these fun and important holiday events and initiatives. And thank you to all UFCW Local 401 members who make a difference throughout the year, through your many acts of generosity and solidarity. You make a difference!

May your activism flourish in 2019!

The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 401 is Alberta’s largest private sector union, representing working Albertans in industries as diverse as retail, food and beverage processing and manufacturing, warehousing, hospitality, and education.