Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Carmanah leads technology-sector food drive

Carmanah Technologies avenged last year’s second-place finish and swept the hardware at this year’s Victoria Innovation Advanced Technology and Entrepreneurship Council Food Bank Challenge.
New_B1-CLR-1212-VIATEC.jpg
Austin Joe, an employee of Schneider Electric, enjoys a ride on the Ferris wheel with wife, Anni, and two-year-old daughter, Ava, during the VIATEC Christmas Party in Centennial Square. About 300 staff from VictoriaÕs technology community gathered to mark the $128,320 they donated to the Mustard Seed food bank.

Carmanah Technologies avenged last year’s second-place finish and swept the hardware at this year’s Victoria Innovation Advanced Technology and Entrepreneurship Council Food Bank Challenge.

Carmanah took both the top overall contributor category and the greatest contribution per employee award, which were handed out Thursday night in Centennial Square during VIATEC’s annual Christmas party.

The bash drew about 300 high-tech workers and their families, and celebrated the raising of $128,320 for the Mustard Seed Food Bank.

Carmanah’s total of $16,305 raised edged out second-place RevenueWire’s $9,897 and Schneider Electric’s $8,896.

With Carmanah also taking top spot in the per-employee count, they edged out second-place Simply Rooted Media and Smart Dolphins IT Solutions.

There were more than 11,000 participants in this year’s challenge that included efforts from 17 high-tech firms.

The participants raised $74,000 and collected 1,000 pounds of food for the food bank during a four-week period.

VIATEC ran a food drive in February as well, which raised more than $47,000.

“It’s the amazing local tech companies that raised all of this cash,” said VIATEC chief executive Dan Gunn.

“VIATEC just gave them ways to keep score and cheered them on.”

Since its inception, the VIATEC Food Bank Challenge has raised just under $2 million for the Mustard Seed Food Bank.

The VIATEC Christmas bash was held in Centennial Square for the first time and featured a Ferris wheel ride, live music, food trucks, local beer and wine and pictures with Santa Claus inside an inflatable igloo.