With less being donated, one business lends a helping hand to charities and non-profits

Calgary pub pays it forward With charitable donations down, a Calgary pub serves up a holiday treat that benefits three different organizations. Tyson Fedor reports.

Calgary — The pandemic has taken a toll on many businesses and charities this year, but one annual holiday tradition started by one iconic Calgary pub is helping spread a little cheer in what has been a mostly cheerless year.

The Ship and Anchor pub on 17th Ave is selling bottles of its homemade eggnog, with a portion of the sales going towards three charities or non-profit organizations.

“Obviously this year, everybody is in need,” said Nicola Trolez, with the pub’s marketing team.

“We’re all feeling out of sorts and certainly we know that donations are obviously down.”

One bottle of eggnog will cost you $22.00 but $10.00 will go towards three charities, the Drop-In Centre, the Centre for Newcomers LGBTQ+ services and the Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society.

“Businesses like the Ship and Anchor have been instrumental in terms of being able to keep us going for those new needs that are coming up,” said Anila Lee Yuen, CEO of the Centre for Newcomers.

“Most of our funding comes from the federal government, and the federal government funding is rather secure, in terms of being able to do that, so we’ve been lucky in that regard.”

15K visitors to Centre for Newcomers

CFN says it sees 15,000 newcomers walk through the door annually. Pre-COVID-19, it had close to 1,000 people walk through the doors every day looking for help.

The Ship says it has been busy, with its original target of 500 bottles selling out almost instantly.

“The first 500 bottles sold out so fast, that we added a few more and since then we’ve had to add a few more,” said Trolez.

“Along with the spiced rum, there is a blend of other liquor in there and spices, of course the recipe is a closely guarded secret.”

The pub has been offering its eggnog for 25 years and is planning on selling 1,800 bottles.

With dining in service closed, the pub is unable to offer its patrons glasses, with five dollars from each sale going towards the organizations.

And this comes on the heels of a report released by Imagine Canada that projected giving from Albertan’s is down to 55 percent who were polled, from the 66 in previous years.

Of those who responded, 73 percent say they will give less this year, due to financial strain, caused by the pandemic.

The research found that Canadians planned to give an average of $317 in 2020, which would be 40 per cent less than previous years.

“It totally will be a trying time for organizations, because when you combine the projected drop in revenues in a surge in demand for services, it makes it even more difficult,” said CEO Bruce MacDonald of Imagine Canada.

The report also found that just 13 per cent plan to volunteer this year, 22 per cent fewer than in a normal holiday season.

MacDonald also say that 40 per cent of all individual giving in a calendar year, typically comes in the final six to eight weeks.