Meet the service franchises giving back to their local communities
In a world where corporate social responsibility is more important than ever, franchises across Canada are stepping up to make a difference in their local communities. Read on to learn more about the service franchises that have dedicated themselves to serving their local communities, showcasing their passion and commitment to giving back as part of their core values.
Two Men & a Truck
“It’s a good feeling to give back,” says Chuck Resnick, vice president of marketing and operations at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Canada.
As one of the most recognizable moving companies across Canada and the U.S., TWO MEN AND A TRUCK operates with the slogan, “Movers Who Care,” and it shows in all the brand’s charitable donations and involvement in new and ongoing organizations. Some may be surprised to learn about how plentiful and diverse the brand’s community contributions are. “We actually budget it, it’s right in [each franchisee’s] budgets, both charitable and non-charitable causes,” says Resnick.
That long list of causes includes 10 cents from every move going to the Mikey Network, as part of the Mikey On Board program, where every truck carries a Mikey defibrillator that all franchisees, drivers, and staff have been trained to use. “We’ve never had to use it, but it’s interesting for customers in particular who think it’s quite odd that there’s a defibrillator on a moving truck,” says Resnick.
Also throughout the year, “A lot of our franchisees on the lead up to Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas will do food drives for their local food bank. They call it Stuff a Truck.” During this time, franchisees partner with local grocery chains and park their truck in a store’s lot, encouraging customers to purchase and drop off goods at the truck to be delivered to a local food bank or wherever the need is greatest for donations.
“The bonus you get is the fun for employees who get involved, too. They get a real sense of, ‘the person for whom I work is actually committed to giving back.’ That’s a good message to deliver to your staff.”
For the brand’s franchisees, they receive the recognition and honour for all the ways they give back. Resnick notes that franchisees in the Niagara and Etobicoke regions recently “won what was called a Newsmaker Award. We put them on a pedestal and gave them an award. Another is called the Humanitarian Award which Ottawa received given the amount of charitable giving they did in years past.”
TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Canada shows no sign of slowing down with new and emerging initiatives and donation programs. Charitable giving is part of the brand’s mission statement, with a core value focused on giving back to the community, says Resnick. “I don’t ask the question, ‘what do I get in return?’ it’s just the good thing to do. And that’s why charitable giving is so important.”
Pet Valu
With more than 7.9 million dogs and 8.5 million cats in Canada, it’s easy to see why investing in a pet care franchise is an attractive proposition. For franchisees of Pet Valu, Canada’s largest pet specialty retailer of pet food and pet-related supplies, the rewards of franchise ownership go beyond the profit margins.
When it comes to Pet Valu’s dedication to the well-being of pets, the proof is in the pudding: millions of dollars raised by various fundraising programs and tens of thousands of pets finding their forever homes across Canada.
These results wouldn’t be possible without Pet Valu’s strong network of caring franchisees, explains Tanbir Grover, chief marketing and digital officer at Pet Valu.
“We have something called our Four Paws Service Model. Our first paw is always about safety and our second paw is compassion,” Grover says of the Pet Valu franchise model. “We strive to act from the heart, with genuine care and courtesy. Our franchisees want their customers and neighbours to know that they are bringing people together and making an impact locally that makes a difference.”
The bedrock of Pet Valu’s charitable efforts is the franchise’s work with the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides, a national charity that provides Dog Guides to Canadians with disabilities. The charity pairs Canadians who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, or hard of hearing with Dog Guides, and helps increase the independence of individuals with other disabilities, such as epilepsy, type 1 diabetes, and autism. Service dogs are also employed to help individuals whose movement is impaired.
Pet Valu’s partnership with Dog Guides has grown into, among other things, the annual Pet Valu Walk for Dog Guides, its biggest fundraiser of the year. In September 2022, Pet Valu announced the launch of AutoShip, a subscription-based service enabling devoted pet lovers to automatically receive the pet essentials they need on a recurring schedule of their choice.
Home Instead
The number of seniors in Canada is growing at a significant rate. As baby boomers age out of the workforce, more care programs that allow them to age with dignity will be required. Enter Home Instead. Since 1994, the company has been helping seniors age well at home, while providing much-needed assistance for families and caregivers.
Greg Bechard knows this story all too well. As a child, he witnessed his mother’s involvement with social purpose organizations like Meals on Wheels. She encouraged him and his siblings to follow the same path. Today, Bechard and his sister operate a handful of Home Instead franchises across Ontario in Etobicoke, Mississauga, Richmond Hill, Newmarket, Ottawa, Guelph, Cambridge, and Kitchener-Waterloo.
With Home Instead, home care providers develop tailored plans to meet individual seniors’ needs, including Alzheimer’s and dementia care, nursing, and hospice support, while helping with everything from grooming, mobility, and 24-hour home care to meal planning and medication administration. “We’re trying to create an environment where all seniors can age at home, with grace and in a safe manner,” says Bechard. “So, it’s really our focus.”
That’s why Home Instead has a series of supplementary resources that go beyond the typical scope of home care and ensure that the care continues, even after a worker’s shift ends. In addition to its core services, Home Instead makes use of grants, providing free care to seniors in need and using its nearly 30 years of name recognition to raise money for charitable initiatives like the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s.
Home Instead franchisees are also rewarded for meeting key metrics with the company’s annual Founder’s Award. Bechard won the award last year, and in the spirit of giving, put the earnings back into the communities who may not have or be able to afford the services.
Portions of the money were contributed to the Alzheimer’s Society, Etobicoke Support Services, and CANES Community Care, another senior services not-for-profit organization. Bechard notes that even though their organizations run competitive services, spreading the wealth to a fellow senior care organization was a no-brainer. “Adult day programs are a great resource for seniors in all our communities,” says Bechard. “So, if we can get behind that and help support that, then that’s at the forefront of our thinking.”
Over time, Home Instead’s philanthropy has turned it into a household name and provided companionship and improvements to the quality of life for seniors.
Image360
For the average Image360 franchise partner, business and philanthropy go hand in hand. The brand’s signage usually marks the promotion of charity events, fundraisers, and hospital drives. As the executive vice president of marketing for Alliance Franchise Brands, Image360’s parent company, Burke Cueny explains that Image360 franchisees live in the same communities in which they work, so helping these communities is second nature.
“Image360 sets a good example for its franchise members in the things we do at the brand level to encourage community support,” says Cueny.
Image360’s commitment to the communities it serves might show up in the form of a monetary donation, awarding of graphics services, or discounts on signage, but sometimes it appears as just another set of hands on deck. “Sometimes it’s just pure donation of labour for a particular charity of choice by the franchise, where they’ll donate staff time and the owner’s time as well for a particular franchise effort.”
In other instances, promotional goals align with fellow organizations, leading to an added value for Image360 beyond services provided.
“We’re always looking for ways that we can give back and lend a helping hand to local non-profit organizations, and the Image360 Gives sweepstakes has done just that,” says Cueny. “Through these awards, we are confident that the selected organizations will benefit from Image360’s resources and will be able to further their charitable mission in their communities.”
Franchisee-led efforts from around Image360’s base of franchises across the U.S. and Canada gain national attention from the franchise head office, as well. “I’m fully supportive of our Image360 franchise members supporting their local communities with causes they feel match up well with their local marketing and community relations strategies,” says Cueny.
With an already wide base of charitable efforts, Image360 looks toward the future by continuing to support agencies focused on social responsibility. Cueny says the pandemic hindered non-profits and philanthropic communities “because they were not able to be as active in fundraising as they had.”