Latest News

Thrifty Foods is excited to be front and centre all week at New Westminster's famous, annual multicultural festival. Just look for our giant Thrifty Foods shopping buggy and the Thrifty Foods Community Stage. Our friendly staff will be on hand offering up tasty samples and some fabulous giveaways!

The only thing that feels better than receiving loving gifts on Mother's Day is giving them. We have ideas for those of you who may be trying to round out the perfect plan for Sunday, May 13.

On Saturday, May 5, Thrifty Foods Sapperton hosted the unveiling of the winning ChildRun T-shirt designs - submitted through the Thrifty Foods Artwork Contest in support of BC Children's Hospital.

Almost 12,000 race participants big and small finished the 10-kilometre race by congregating under the Thrifty Foods tents for a chance to grab one of 1,250 dozen cookies, 10,000 juice boxes, 18 cases of oranges, 20 cases of bananas, 12 cases apples, 20 dozen muffins, 2,200 granola bars and 1,000 boxes of chocolate milk. What is your favourite?

Join Liam and the team at our Coquitlam store as they Camp Out to Stamp Out Cancer.

Camp Out to Stamp Out Cancer is a volunteer-run, week-long event to raise $10,000 for the BC Children's Hospital at Thrifty Foods Coquitlam.

Whether you're turning over your vegetable bed soil in preparation for laying in those baby lettuces (yum!) or readying new planter boxes for a colourful spring or summer bloom, you know that gardening season is with us at last!

Whether butterflying lamb shoulder or chasing children on an Easter egg hunt in your garden, read on for ideas on how to remove the nervous butterflies from Easter weekend and focus only on the good flavours waiting to be enjoyed!

Thinking of gathering the family or a few dear friends? Enjoy entertaining but not a fan of the last minute scramble for standout dishes? Here are some meal ideas for inspiration!
 

The kids are, for some, back in school and it's high time to carve out a little youtime. Dinner-wise, this means short and sweet or slow-cooking and low maintenance. Try one of these reliable and delicious no-fuss dinner ideas in the first week back at the books.

Every fish has a story to tell, from shore to store. Thanks to the Ecotrust Canada-created Thisfish traceability program, our Thrifty Foods First of the Season BC halibut comes with even more - an illustrated history!

Some holidays are more serious than others … St. Patrick's Day is not one of them. This is a time to celebrate your favourite Irish-inspired music, foods, beverages (yes, definitely beverages) and the friends and family that make that celebration sing!

Romantic recipes, indulgent treats, stunning florals and cheeky cards - we've got you (and your loved one) covered.

Here are several tips to put a romantic twist on this mid-week Valentine's Day.

The big game is on this weekend! Keep your local quarterbacks happy and the team in check by serving up these delicious recipes - or ordering up some Game Day platters for easy entertaining!

Celebrate the season with good friends, good fun and sensational food. Wow the crowd and take the pressure off with time-saving products and clever presentation.

Thrifty Foods Coquitlam and Thrifty Foods Sapperton (New Westminster), in partnership with Home Instead Senior Care, have set up two very special Christmas trees to help bring a bit of joy to seniors living alone this holiday season.

We're proud to be recognized for outstanding contributions to the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation over the last three years.

It was no ordinary day at our Morgan Crossing store last Friday, November 18. Customers and employees were delighted to find hockey heroes Alex Burrows and Mason Raymond dashing down the aisles in support of their local food bank.

Our annual campaign, Pumpkins for Charity, raises much needed funds for local Hospital Foundations across BC. Customers participate by purchasing a pumpkin at our stores and Thrifty Foods donates $1 from the sale directly to the hospital in your community.

More than 9,700 customers bit into a sweet Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Raspberry Swirl Chocolate treat to help support the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation this year.

Fundraising, in general, is a lot of hard work ... but thanks to the help of great family, friends, and the ongoing support from Thrifty Foods, James surpassed his goal and continues to raise more support for Camp Goodtimes. For James, the more we raise, the more kids gets to go to camp!

Our "electric experts" hit two mainland stores, North Vancouver and Morgan Crossing (Surrey), late last week to share the latest on keeping our carbon footprint light, and they were available for Q. & A. with all customers and staff on site for two days.

Tour de Rock Rider Reveals Training Schedule and Tips for Staying Strong.

As part of our annual tradition, Thrifty Foods staff were on hand on Sunday, July 31 to raise money for the Victoria Symphony as part of Symphony Splash.

Thrifty Foods broke ground on our new Distribution Centre near the Victoria International Airport. With construction underway, we anticipate that the new 152,000 sq. ft. facility will be up and running by late 2012.

James Matsuda may be known to you already … but do you know him as your local produce supervisor (at Thrifty Foods Courtenay for the past 10 years), as a volunteer police officer (with the Comox Valley RCMP), as a family man and father of three, or as a volunteer in his community for any number of worthy causes?

On Monday, July 11, we were proud to honour Lisle Babcock from Deer Creek Heights Ranch, with the Greenhalgh Lifetime Achievement Award at our Suppliers Awards of Excellence event.

With your help, through our one-day "Like Us on Facebook" campaign and to the generosity of our customers visiting our stores on June 30, Thrifty Foods is donating $14,508.90 to the Queen Alexandra Foundation for Children in Victoria and the BC Children's Hospital Foundation in Vancouver.

Congratulations to our Sidney, Tsawwassen, and Central Saanich locations for being selected for multiple readers choice awards!

Long-time Sendial Customer, Frances R., of Victoria, turned 100 Monday.

Two of our store managers, Mike Murphy and Rick Gaiga are among cyclists raising funds in support of humanitarian aid in Afghanistan by riding their bikes from Comox to Victoria.  The ride is named in honour of Corporal Andrew "Boomer" Eykelenboom, a medic who was killed while serving with the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan in 2006, and takes place June 17^th-18^th.

Kids of all ages took part in the Thrifty Foods Family Bike Festival. Under a sunny June sky in downtown Victoria, bicycle enthusiasts decorated or "blinged"out their bikes and participated in a bike rodeo, obstacle course and tricycle races.

Thank you to our customers and staff who helped make these events such a great success.

Ryder Hesjedal, of Tour de France (and now Tour de Victoria) fame, had a great turnout of all ages for his inaugural Tour de Victoria event on May 28th. Below are snapshots of the Timbits or "little riders" that raced in Bastion Square downtown.

Not your average trip to the grocery store this weekend… Taking place exclusively at the North Vancouver Thrifty Foods store, the 1^st Annual North Vancouver Halibut Festival had activities for everyone. With a real 38 foot fishing boat packed with 8,000lbs of fresh, Ocean Wise halibut as the main attraction, families observed how PASCO Seafood fishermen live while on the open water.

Two Thrifty foods Lower Mainland stores recently "adopted" local elementary school libraries, with $500 donations presented at two stops on the BC Book Prize author tour.

Store #20 in Coquitlam sponsored 18 of their employees to run in the Vancouver Sun Run this past Sunday (along with 50,000 others).

Exclusively at the Tsawwassen Thrifty Foods location, customers threw-in their $2 to support the construction of a new foam pit for the Delta Gymnastics Society.

Both the Thrifty Foods Coquitlam "Austin Station" and Port Moody stores were recognized at the 2011 Gala for their outstanding contribution to economic development, innovation, and community service.

In partnership with Thrifty Foods, the Comox Valley Therapeutic Riding Society raised $1,387.12 during their annual sale of tulip bulbs at the Courtenay Thrifty Foods location.

With the support of Thrifty Foods, the Black Creek Community Association was successful in raising funds to purchase an Automated External Defibrillator.

As part of the store's grand opening celebration every Club Thrifty Foods member was automatically entered to win the Smart Car each time they shopped and swiped their card between Dec.1 and Dec.31,2010.

As a member of the Thrifty Foods Smile Card Program, Royston Elementary School was able to meet their fundraising goal to purchase a variety of native plants for their Community Natural Playground Project.

On Monday, December 6th, Thrifty Foods hosted the 14th annual Sendial Luncheon at the Victoria Conference Centre.

The Free Groceries for a Year contest was held as part of the celebration following the completion of in-store renovations at the Mill Bay and Duncan Thrifty Foods locations.

As part of the North Vancouver store's grand opening celebration every Club Thrifty Foods member was automatically entered to win the Smart Car each time they shopped and swiped their card between October 20 and November 30,2010.

As part of the Thrifty Foods Smile Card Fundraising Program, the Lochside Elementary School was able to renovate a dated, vacant solarium into a fun, functional sunny space where parents, children and their teachers enjoy reading, playing games and socializing.

Thank you for helping us raise $23,285.50 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation!

Over 800 young runners took to the streets on October 10 to participate in the Thrifty Foods Kids Run & Marathon! Thrifty Foods was once again proud to support the GoodLife Victoria Marathon as well, feeding thousands of runners who participated in the 8K, half and full marathon on October 10 after they crossed the finish line.

Thrifty Foods celebrates Rick Gaiga and his team of Tour de Rock Riders at the Courtenay store on Thursday, Oct 7th.

This year we showed our support in more ways than ever before. We're pleased to announce that at the Tour de Rock finale on October 1, Thrifty Foods presented a cheque for $62,778 to the Canadian Cancer Society's Cops for Cancer.

 

Thank you to all British Columbians for making a world of difference to the families who are facing one of the largest urban disasters. These funds will be assisting the Canadian Red Cross to provide the necessary humanitarian responses.

Thrifty Foods Cloverdale first opened its doors back in 1997 and as the times have changed, so has our store. We're quite proud of our newly renovated store and look forward to offering you a new shopping experience.

More than thirty Thrifty Foods employees gave their time and energy on August 1 to raise money for the Victoria Symphony at Symphony Splash! This year's event was another successful Sunday, with plenty of snacks sold and $2935 donated to the Symphony (all proceeds from sales). Thanks again to our vendors Frito Lay and Coke, who generously donated product for us to sell.

Food for Families and BC Sharing are two great programs that in the last year raised more than $380,000! A big heartfelt thank you to all our customers who generously support their local food banks with a donation at the till.

Thrifty Foods Campbell River was proud to participate in this year's Canada Day parade. Thank you to everyone who helped out!

As part of the 4th annual Boomer's Legacy Bike ride, 25 cyclists cycled from Comox to Victoria on June 18 and June 19. Thrifty Foods provided the food for this worthy event that raises money for the Boomer's Legacy fund, which assists front line soldiers in the direct provision of medical services and supplies, school supplies, and other items to improve the quality of life in Afghanistan.

The 25th annual ChildRun set new records for participation and fundraising. More than 6,300 people registered for the event this year, which included a 5km run and the Thrifty Foods 1km Fun Run.

Funds raised from ChildRun and during the BC Children's Hospital Miracle Weekend totalled over $16.5 million. Donations to the Miracle Weekend are used to support the purchase of life-saving equipment, research into the treatment, prevention and cure of childhood diseases, recruitment and educational programs for caregivers, and programs in communities throughout the province.

This year over 100 kids participated in the Thrifty Foods Youth Golf Clinics at Uplands Golf Course. The clinics were taught by professional golfers and members of the UVic Vikes Golf team. All proceeds from the clinics are donated to youth golf programs in Victoria.

From February 24 until March 23, Thrifty Foods Morgan Crossing donated 1% of sales to the Sources Community Food Bank. On Friday, May 28, Thrifty Foods presented the Food Bank with a cheque for $18,701.

Sources relies on over 80 regular volunteers to provide their services and survives through support of food and monetary donations from the community. Their services include shower and laundry facilities, and providing nutritious food, clothing and household items to White Rock/South Surrey community members in need.

We are pleased to announce that Nutrition for You was selected as the Speaking of Food and Healthy Living Award regional winner for British Columbia!

Jessalyn O'Donnell, Registered Dietitian, received the award on behalf of Thrifty Foods at the Dietitians of Canada Annual Conference held in Montreal from May 27 to May 29.

This family fun event was a chance for everyone to come out and meet and greet the 2010 Tour de Rock Team Members, their supporters, sponsors and community volunteers. Sponsored by Coast Capital Savings, Thrifty Foods and the Beach club resort, it was a fun day with the RCMP Helicopter on site.

On May 2, Thrifty Foods sponsored the Walk for Health - a fundraiser for Delta Hospital Foundation - by providing nourishment and energy to participants. $10 Smile Cards were also handed out as fundraising incentives. In the end, about 260 walkers raised over $55,000!

On April 25th, Thrifty Foods volunteers helped feed the 13,508 participants who registered for the TC10K this year. The event included a 10km run and the Thrifty Foods Family Run, both of which were held in downtown Victoria.