The spirit of giving was plentiful at the Montreal refinery's Guignolée event in early December. This annual tradition, aimed at collecting essentials for those in need, garnered overwhelming support. All proceeds from this event went to Action Secours Vie d'Espoir — an organization dedicated to providing healthy food and supports to those in vulnerable situations.
Building on this compassionate momentum, the refinery also distributed Christmas hampers in collaboration with Organization Cuisine à Toute Vapeur— a group that helps identify families that are in need and shops for essential foods for hampers.
"Our connection with the community in Montreal-East, Pointe-aux-Trembles, spans over two decades,” says Melanie Bardier, Team Lead Operations from the Montreal refinery. “It brings our community even closer.”
Meanwhile, staff at the St. Clair Ethanol Plant in Mooretown, Ont. embraced the season's cheer by participating in the Inn of the Good Shepherd’s Adopt-a-Family program. Teams from the plant came together to support families in need by ensuring they experienced the magic of the holidays with gifts under the tree.
"These kids belong to families facing challenges,” says Micaela Streeter, Director at the St. Clair Ethanol Plant who helped assemble gift packages for children aged 2 to 12. “The gesture is small but it’s a meaningful way to spread holiday cheer."
“Additionally, Suncor donated $5,000 to various causes, including the Corunna Santa Claus Parade and Operation Christmas Tree," adds Micaela.
In the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo area, Suncor employees were busy participating in two important community events. The first was the Syncrude Food Drive in support of the Wood Buffalo Food Bank Association. Anna Seinen, Community Relations Advisor, says “The Syncrude Food Drive supports our region for food security, which is more important now with the cost of living increasing. People are needing more support this year than in past years."
“At the long-running Festival of Trees in support of the Northern Lights Health Region, we raised $200,000 for one tree – the highest donation in the event’s history for a single tree,” explains Anna. Both Suncor and Syncrude partnered with other companies to sponsor this record-setting tree.
In the U.S., Suncor’s Commerce City refinery supported the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver holiday events, including a regional toy drive and holiday party.
“The Suncor U.S.A. team showed up in full force this season to demonstrate how we care for our neighbours,” said Brandy Radey, Senior Relations Advisor at the Commerce City refinery. “Helping with kids’ activities at the Suncor Boys & Girls Club holiday party is a meaningful way to strengthen our connection with community, and our participation in the toy drive ensures every child and teen served at the Club is able to open a gift during the holiday season.”
While people working at our sites and operations across Suncor help bring the magic of the season to life, community giving takes place all year long. In 2023, Suncor merrily contributed approximately $40 million to communities, including through employee giving and volunteering logged in SunCares, the Suncor Energy Foundation, Syncrude community investment, and the Petro-Canada CareMakers Foundation.