Glowbal Restaurant Group x Vancouver Firefighter Charities (VFC): 9,000 meals provided to School Meals For Kids program

Now that class is dismissed, Glowbal Restaurant Group and Vancouver Firefighter Charities (VFC) are marking a milestone 9,000 meals provided to students in need over the past school year via their School Meals For Kids program partnership that was launched last October.

The program saw the culinary teams at each of the group’s restaurants (Glowbal, Coast, Italian Kitchen, Five Sails, Black+Blue, The Roof, Riley’s and Trattoria locations) prepare meals that were delivered by 50+ off-duty firefighters to more than 1,500 secondary school students at Britannia, Templeton, Gladstone, Killarney, John Oliver, David Thompson, Vancouver Technical and Sir Charles Tupper via VFC’s Snacks For Kids program.

The costs of the individually packaged meals — which included Spaghetti and Meatballs, Oven-Roasted Chicken Thighs with French Onion Style Sauce, Chicken Salad with Herbs, and Beef Bourguignon — were absorbed by Glowbal, while additional support was provided by corporate donors.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our chefs and the firefighters who prepared and delivered thousands of healthy, nourishing meals to students around the city this past year,” says Glowbal Restaurant Group CEO Emad Yacoub. “We look forward to building on the success of this first year partnering with VFC and ensuring even more kids around this city don’t have to go through the school day on an empty stomach.”

Glowbal was already a staunch supporter of the VFC and Snacks For Kids, and provided meals for more than 2,000 children in 40 schools and after-school programs in the past prior to teaming up for the School Meals For Kids program.

Founded in 2013 in partnership with the Vancouver School Board, Snacks For Kids is a volunteer-led program supported entirely through Vancouver firefighter payroll donations and fundraising events that provides nutritious non-perishable snacks, fresh food and take-home groceries to students across the city. 

“We cannot thank Glowbal and Vancouver Firefighters Charities enough for these meals,” said Nick Akrap, David Thompson secondary Principal. “They were greatly appreciated by the school community and provided some critical support to our most vulnerable families.”

Glowbal Restaurant Group has long been a champion of charitable causes in the community at large and stepped up that support during the pandemic by donating meals to a number of organizations that included Snacks For Kids, Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon, A Loving Spoonful, Atira Women’s Resource Society, Directions Youth Services and the Kilala Lelum Urban Indigenous Health and Healing Cooperative, among others.

Non-profit organizations and community groups interested in partnering with Glowbal Restaurant Group for meal delivery in the Vancouver area are encouraged to contact Glowbal Restaurant Group PR representatives Michelle Lan and Tara Armstrong.

For more information about Glowbal Restaurant Group, visit glowbalgroup.com. To learn more about VFC and its fundraising events and initiatives that benefit the community at large, go to vancouverfirefighters.ca.