Canadian Tire launches $5 million coronavirus response fund

Canadian Tire. an NHL partner, donated $5 million on Thursday to help Canadians and communities respond to the coronavirus pandemic and support health care and community workers on the front lines of relief and response efforts.

The COVID-19 Response Fund includes gifts of $1 million each to the Canadian Red Cross and United Way Centraide Canada, and up to $3 million in personal protective equipment (PPE) and essential products from across Canadian Tire's family of companies.

Hayley Wickenheiser, a four-time Olympic gold medal winner for Canada and current medical student, started a movement Sunday to collect PPE for health care workers by asking for 13,500 masks, 13,500 gloves and 1,350 chemo gowns. Her call for supplies was assisted by actor Ryan Reynolds and his social media outreach that has 15.8 million followers on Twitter and 35.4 million on Instagram.

"We made a massive donation to her through our fund," a Canadian Tire spokesperson said of Wickenheiser, who is an ambassador for the company.

"It blew up, thanks to Ryan for sure and 35 million Instagram people," Wickenheiser told The Canadian Press on Tuesday. "Really, it's because of his celebrity status. It's massive when you get that type of an interest. I had one guy last night that gave 27,095 masks in one shipment, one company."

The gift to the Canadian Red Cross will aid the use of field hospitals, relief supplies and isolation sites, as well as the provision of PPE for Red Cross personnel responding to the needs in communities across Canada. United Way Centraide Canada will direct $1 million to strengthening support for more vulnerable Canadians by funding community social services such as food delivery, outreach to seniors living in low-income or precarious housing, crisis lines, women's and homeless shelters, and support for frontline community workers.

Front-line medical workers and community organizations in need will benefit from the $3 million donation, which will also help meet the demand for other essential products like cleaning supplies, scrubs, and running and safety shoes.

"Working through the networks of the Canadian Red Cross and United Way Centraide Canada will help us quickly reach the communities who need our help the most," Canadian Tire president and CEO Greg Hicks said. "With such a large national footprint in communities across Canada and the backing of our family of companies, we are in a unique position to provide front-line and community workers with products that will help keep them safe and effective on the job."

Canadian Tire Associate Dealers continue to play a critical role in supporting local communities by independently donating 160,000 masks, 164,000 pairs of gloves and 20,000 liters of hand sanitizer to hospitals, nursing homes and organizations. Their stores halted sales and replenishment of N95 and ASTM certified masks. All remaining supplies were given to healthcare workers through the response fund and the chain is available to the healthcare industry to move PPE products across Canada.

"As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, the Canadian Red Cross is adapting its services and providing expertise to help meet the needs emerging across the country," Canadian Red Cross president and CEO Conrad Sauve said. "The funds received today from Canadian Tire Corporation will help the Red Cross continue its collaborative work to assist with the unique needs arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic."