In a bid to build team spirit and support struggling restaurants, the province鈥檚 construction industry will launch its fourth annual lunch-box challenge next month.
The annual event, which sees companies treat their work crews to a free lunch from a local restaurant, has expanded this year to offer $37,500 in grants to encourage companies to get involved.
鈥淥ur industry was declared essential throughout the pandemic, and while it鈥檚 been a tough year, we鈥檙e proud of how well we鈥檝e done and keen to give the workforce a bit of recognition,鈥� said Chris Atchison, president of the sa国际传媒 Construction Association.
鈥淲e鈥檙e grateful that we were able to keep working.
鈥淭he restaurant industry hasn鈥檛 been so fortunate, so it鈥檚 good to do a little something to help the local restaurants who are also working hard in every 颅community.鈥�
While some new spots have opened up over the last year, the province鈥檚 颅restaurant industry estimates that by the end of the pandemic, it will lose as many as 4,500 locations 鈥� almost a third of an estimated 15,000 pre-pandemic.
Last year, more than 200 construction firms took on the lunch-box challenge. The association expects that number to grow significantly this year, with 鈥渟tarter grants鈥� of $250 or $500 鈥� depending on the size of the work crew 鈥� being offered as an incentive for 颅companies to get involved.
Ian Tostenson, chief executive of the sa国际传媒 Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said 鈥渋t鈥檚 wonderful鈥� to see the construction industry support local restaurants that may be struggling to get through the COVID-19 pandemic. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a generous idea and we鈥檙e thrilled to support it by making posters available to all our members so they can put them up in the window, or even visit the construction sites near them and make sure they鈥檙e aware of the grants and the lunch-box challenge.鈥�
The initiative, with the hashtag #lunchboxchallenge, was introduced by Scott Construction last spring, and has since been supported by the sa国际传媒 Construction Association and LNG sa国际传媒.
It is now part of April鈥檚 official 颅Construction Month activities.
