In November 2019, a new non-profit charity venture, Mealshare, formed a partnership with A&W restaurants in Saskatchewan to provide meals for youth. 

For every Mushroom Mozzarella Combo that was purchased at participating A&W Canada restaurants in Saskatchewan between October 28 and December 1, one simple healthy meal was provided to a youth in need through a variety of organizations.

In its press release on December 16, Mealshare announced that, province-wide, the program resulted in nearly 32,000 meals being provided to youth through distribution to food banks.

Andrew Hall, co-founder of Mealshare stated that the numbers far exceeded initial expectations.

“The A&W team was originally forecasting around 18.000 meals. We heard that some of the stores had to reorder supplies because the burgers were just flying off the shelves. People were happy to help out.”

People of the region contributed by purchasing 762 Mushroom Mozzarella Combos at the Humboldt restaurant alone. 

Hall explains that the meals are distributed through money being awarded to food banks throughout the country. Half of the money raised is designated for national distribution, while half of the pooled proceeds are going to local food banks, in Humboldt’s case, the Humboldt and District Food Bank. The equivalent value of nearly 400 simple meals would be able to residents through the local food bank on account of the Mealshare program.

Given the initial response of the trial with A&W Saskatchewan, Hall is optimistic about the growth of Mealshare.

“Things went really well with A&W and they’re hoping to roll out some more ideas next year. We should see new things for 2020 and hopefully see everybody right back there in the Humboldt A&W in the future.”

The sentiment is echoed by Susan Senecal, president and chief executive officer at A&W Canada.

"We've always known our franchisees and guests in Saskatchewan have incredibly huge hearts. Their generosity and love for their communities consistently inspires us at A&W. With the holidays coming up, this initiative really showcased their giving spirit, and I'm so thankful that we were able to work with Mealshare to provide meals to youth in need."