ACU - ACU to host its first community response drive

The community response drive invites both ACU employees and members to come together to collect new, unopened menstruation products and personal hygiene items which can be dropped off at any ACU branch and will support organizations that serve individuals and groups who have been amongst the hardest hit by the pandemic.

“Our [ACU] business is financial services, but our purpose is so much more. Working across a triple bottom line [people, plant and prosperity], ACU helps to enable and contribute to sustainable communities for all.” says Kevin Sitka, ACU President & CEO.

“Communities are always at the heart of everything that Assiniboine Credit Union does on a day-to-day basis and clearly we are experiencing unprecedented times at this moment. We are very proud to be able to help and assist in any small way that we can and that’s what this initiative is all about.”

Brendan Reimer, ACU’s Strategic Partner, Values-Based Banking adds, “the community organizations that we’re engaging with support individuals and groups who have been most impacted by the pandemic. We want to align this drive to our vision for a sustainable future for all by ensuring basic needs are provided for those in our communities experiencing poverty.”

The organizations that we will be partnering with are:

• Main Street Project – serves the needs of Winnipeg’s most vulnerable residents
• Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre – supports Indigenous families to better care for children by creating meaningful opportunities for community and family involvement
• Anishiative – empowers and reconnects youth with community through life-sustaining community outreach and land-based culture camps
• North End Women’s Centre – is the longest running women’s resource centre in all of Winnipeg. Their service areas are community support, recovery and housing support and community development and engagement.
• Sscope – provides employment to people living with a mental health illness through environmentally friendly social enterprise ventures

Example of items that are accepted are:

• Personal hygiene items – toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, soap/body wash, shampoo and conditioner
• Menstruation products – menstrual items such as sanitary napkins, tampons, panty liners, menstrual cups, cloth menstrual pads, period panties and sponges.

ACU employees will be delivering all donations to these five organizations once the drive is complete.

About Assiniboine Credit Union
Assiniboine Credit Union is a financial co-operative in Manitoba with branches in Winnipeg, Thompson and Gillam. ACU uses its expertise and resources to foster self-reliant and sustainable communities, while taking care to consider the impact of business decisions on employees, members, the environment and the communities it serves.

Media Contacts

All media inquiries can be forwarded to:

Assiniboine Credit Union
Dean Beleyowski
Director, Marketing
Assiniboine Credit Union
dbeleyowski@acu.ca