P.A. Food bank executive director Kim Scruby (left) and operations manager Laura Uvery (middle) accepted a donation from Safeway manager and franchise owner Rahul Kaushik on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Teena Monteleone/paNOW Staff)
Ingredients for Life

‘The timing is great’: Safeway donates $16K to food bank

Apr 30, 2025 | 8:59 AM

Since June of last year, Prince Albert Safeway has donated more than $28,000 to the Prince Albert Food Bank; the latest donation of $16,000 was presented to executive director Kim Scruby on Tuesday,

The timing couldn’t be better according to Scruby who said demand continues, but spring and summer donations tend to go down. The organization is greatly dependent on community support.

“Only about 18 per cent of our budget comes from government. The rest is all local support whether that be from individuals or businesses and our demand keeps going up. I think we’re averaging right now about 3,000 people a month,” Scruby said. “We’ve been keeping up, but this helps a lot. The timing is great.”

Prince Albert Safeway owner Rahul Kaushik said it’s important for him to support the community.

“Because of our customers. If they’re not here, there is no business, so it’s a way of giving back for us.”

Cashiers ask customers at checkout if they want to donate anywhere from $2 to $20 to the food bank. Kaushik said they’re given a receipt for the donation and also have the chance to win a $300 gift basket.

“We have a lot of great customers who are doing it because it’s a local cause and the money stays in town, so they’re really motivated to help,” Kaushik said.

The money will mostly go towards purchasing nonperishable items that the food bank is always in need of; things like canned vegetables, rice and pasta.

“The great thing about this donation is we can also buy fresh fruit and produce,” Scruby said.

The food bank and the general public will get to experience a refreshed shopping experience at Safeway. The Prince Albert store has undergone several renovations this last year, including an upgraded produce section, displays and grocery items. The store has started to include more Ukrainian, Italian, British and other multicultural items. And the bakery, one of the only scratch bakeries in town, is also offering new items, along with the deli department.

Rahul Kaushik, owner of Prince Albert Safeway, said Canadian-made items have been identified throughout the store with national flags. (Teena Monteleone/paNOW Staff)

“We are talking to a lot of local suppliers, especially Saskatchewan-made products. Most of our products are from Canada and the same with produce, we’re buying from local suppliers. If you go to the meat department, you’ll see Drake Meats which is from Drake, Saskatchewan. So, there is a lot of new stuff.”

Kaushik added the store has labelled all Canadian products with a Canada flag to help customers easily identify local products.

panews@pattisonmedia.com

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