Propel's story

“There is no better culture-building activity than working together to support something meaningful.”

When Patrick Higgins, president of Propel Natural Brands, was introduced to Community Food Centres Canada 6 years ago, he was intrigued by our mission to build health, belonging and social justice in low-income communities across the country through the power of food. Now, as a leader in Canada's natural and organic products space, Patrick feels fortunate to partner with organizations like CFCC that address the urgent issue of food insecurity in a dignified way.

“I always felt that the typical ‘foodbank’ experience needed some disruption and that the current format would often lead to people not receiving quality, healthy products,” he said. “the traditional food bank really wasn’t set up to make people feel good about using it.”

In 2021, Patrick spearheaded a corporate team-building event in support of Community Food Centres Canada. “We all see Propel as a project that goes beyond the good work we do for our clients - we want the organization to enrich lives. We want to make a difference.”

Together, teams across the company held a variety of in-person and virtual events to raise $12,100 – well past their initial goal of $10,000!

So, how did they do it? Patrick has this advice to share with business leaders:

“Engage as many people as you can internally and try to involve different areas of the business. Bringing different departments together to work on something outside of the business can have positive effects on those relationships. If appropriate, involve customers and clients too! It helps build relationships when you are working together on something meaningful.”

Ready to make a difference? Get in touch with Simone Robinson, Community Giving Coordinator at [email protected] to register your corporate team-building event today!