TORONTO, February 7, 2023 – Rabba Fine Foods returns to the Good Shepherd Centre this weekend to host the seventh annual Super Bowl community dinner – a welcomed event for some 100 men who will enjoy the game together on television along with game-day fare. Beyond the warm food, Rabba’s donation includes much-needed care packages and food items for weeks of meals, to be offered post Super Bowl. To deliver the goods, the neighbourhood market has turned to the support of caring partners including Maple Leaf Foods, Pizzeria Libretto and Lassonde.
“We are so thankful to our partners for another year of incredible donations to this shelter that does invaluable work all year long,” says Rima Rabba, head of Rabba Roots, the company’s community giving program. “We are grateful to be able to support these men and the team at the Good Shepherd with a little bit of fun and food to go with the big game.” This year’s donation includes gourmet pizza, cabbage rolls, chicken strips, perogies, hamburgers, dessert and beverages. Rabba Fine Foods and its closest partners also secured a wide assortment of goods to create hundreds of individual care packages including hygiene products, healthy snacks, and warm winter essentials. “Thanks to the generosity of Rabba Roots, our guests get to enjoy game day in the spirit of community and wrapped in the warmth of good food,” says Kirk McMahon, a senior manager at Good Shepherd and responsible for hospitality and housing services. “It is a much anticipated event here at Good Shepherd and the donation will help us for days to come during this long, cold month of February.”
In 2022, Good Shepherd served 261,953 meals, gave safe overnight shelter to 472 homeless guests and helped 61 homeless men plus 13 homeless veterans secure housing. In 2022, the registered charity plans to seek funding for a gambling addiction program and amplify its efforts to respond to the affordable housing crisis.
Danilo Danoso, team member at a Rabba Fine Foods distribution centre in Mississauga, Ontario, kicks off today, February 7, his company’s efforts, to provide food and an expression of solidarity to guests at Good Shepherd Centre in Toronto this Super Bowl Sunday. Through its Rabba Roots Community program, the company is gathering enough food for the big game, and beyond, with a total of more than 1,000 meals.
For more information on the work of Good Shepherd, or to make a donation, please visit goodshepherd.ca.
“A TORONTO INSTITUTION SINCE THE 60’S”
Rabba Roots is a community giving program that is committed to contributing to the lives of people through access to food, health and emergency services. It is also a supporter of arts and events that add colour to local communities. Rabba Roots believes that a great community starts with caring neighbours. A family-run business with roots extending back to 1967, Rabba Fine Foods serves customers across the Greater Toronto Area through a network of 36 urban grocery markets. For more information on Rabba Fine Foods, its Rabba Roots community program or any of its locations, visit rabba.com.