VICTORIA, BC (December 13, 2021) - The Victoria tech community pulled together to donate $82,698, enough to feed over 650 people for a year, through the Mustard Seed Food Bank as a direct result of the 19th Annual VIATEC Foundation Food Bank Challenge that took place from November 15 to December 9, 2021. 

“This is at least the third year in a row that we have seen the total amount raised exceed the year before,” said Dan Gunn, VIATEC’s CEO. “It is a testament to the big hearts in our local tech community. It has been an honour to do what we can to encourage and enable our tech community to support those in need throughout our region. We are proud of the companies that contributed this year and thankful to the rest of our members for their ongoing support, which make it possible for us to dedicate the staff time and resources needed to organize this initiative each year.” 

The annual community challenge has focused on raising cash online over the collection of food donations the past few years to ensure the safety of participants and donors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the Mustard Seed’s partnerships with local grocery suppliers, cash donations allow them to buy more food per dollar than donating individuals can buy on their own for the same amount.

Over the years, the annual tech community event has donated $2,478,741.72 worth of food and cash to the Mustard Seed.

Top Overall Contributors:

1. StarFish Medical, Top Overall Contributor: $22,388
2. AbeBooks.com, First Runner-Up Overall Contributor: $14,280
3. FreshWorks Studio, Second Runner-Up Overall Contributor: $9,409

Top Per-Employee Contributors:

1. Oluwapelumi Ogeroju, Top Per-Employee Contributor: $400 per individual
2. Capital Investment Network, First Runner-Up Per-Employee Contributor: $316.71 per employee
3. Smart Dolphins IT Solutions, Second Runner-Up Per-Employee Contributor: $272.61 per employee

2021 Participants:

1. AES Engineering
2. AbeBooks
3. Capital Investment Network/Cindicates/Women’s Equity Lab
4. CL Web Developers
5. Codan Communications (a Zetron Company)
6. Echosec Systems
7. FreshWorks Studio
8. Giftbit
9. GoChip Pet Technology
10. Industrial Plankton
11. Latitude Technologies
12. Oluwapelumi Ogeroju
13. Smart Dolphins IT Solutions
14. RaceRocks
15. RingPartner
16. StarFish Medical
17. Stocksy United
18. VIATEC
19. Vigil Health Solutions
20. Worldline

The Fundrazr campaign with the full leaderboard can be viewed here.

About VIATEC:

VIATEC (Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology and Entrepreneurship Council), started in 1989. VIATEC's mission is to cultivate the most cohesive tech community in the world by providing resources to tackle shared opportunities and challenges while boosting a sense of belonging and shaping our region. www.viatec.ca 

About the VIATEC Foundation:

The VIATEC Foundation was founded to encourage, support and enable the generosity of the Victoria tech community by bringing them together for greater impact, coordinating their efforts, collecting and sharing the amount and impact of their philanthropic activities, and reducing the time and effort of individual tech companies reviewing requests for support. It focuses its support on initiatives directed at Diversity and Inclusion, Access to Innovation, Social Impact through Innovation, Food Security and Education.

About the Mustard Seed Food Bank:

The Mustard Seed Food Bank has been essential in fighting hunger for a large portion of people living in poverty, as well as the working poor, in Greater Victoria since 1975. The Mustard Seed’s operations are nearly 100 percent community funded and include Vancouver Island’s largest Food Bank, a Family Center, Hospitality programs, and addictions recovery at Hope Farm Healing Centre. The Mustard Seed positively impacts, on average 5,000 individuals per month, with more than 50 volunteers keeping things running everyday.  With your help, lives are transformed on a daily basis!  www.mustardseed.ca 

MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Dan Gunn, CEO, VIATEC
dgunn@viatec.ca
250-882-2820