As part of Purolator Tackle Hunger, we are recognizing a few of our incredible Purolator Tackle Hunger champions who dedicate their time and passion to raising food and funds for food banks across Canada.
Our champions organize fundraising initiatives in our terminals and offices, they lead Purolator Tackle Hunger Red Bag campaigns in our communities and they drive awareness of the rising issue of food insecurity in this country.
It’s thanks to all their hard work that Purolator Tackle Hunger has delivered more than 25 million pounds of food to Canadian food banks, and as long as there is a need, they have pledged to keep going.
Canadians can help those facing food insecurity by donating online at purolatortacklehunger.com or by bringing non-perishable food donations to any Purolator Shipping Centre across Canada.
Sasha Talusig
Sasha Talusig, Operations Support Representative, Port Kells, B.C. has been a driving force behind the Purolator Tackle Hunger (PTH) program in her depot.
In the past five years with Purolator, Sasha led more than a dozen PTH events in Port Kells. In the last two years, she co-ordinated and participated in the Port Kells Red Bag campaigns, rallying colleagues, family and community members to volunteer their time to drop off Red Bags and collect donations. Her efforts, along with those of the volunteers, resulted in over 9,000 pounds of donations for the Friends in Need Food Bank in Maple Ridge, B.C., a gain of more than 3,000 pounds from the previous year's event.
Sasha first got involved to PTH program by creating posters for the campaigns, but over time her involvement really expanded. She helped sell 50/50 raffle tickets, cooked pancakes and grilled cheese in the mornings as part of the local depot’s fundraising efforts and participated in the Red Bag campaign to collect food donations.
Sasha's motivation comes from her personal experiences and understanding of the challenges faced by those in need.
“This initiative brings me back to my own experiences growing up in the Philippines, where I saw how hard it can be for families to access basic needs. That personal connection reminds me why this work matters,” she said. “Each campaign is a chance to give back, inspire others, and be part of something bigger than myself. That sense of purpose is what keeps me going.”
One of the most remarkable aspects about Sasha is her ability to connect with people on a personal level. Through heartfelt conversations with those affected by hunger and motivating volunteers with her enthusiasm, Sasha's compassion shines through.
Looking ahead, Sasha has ambitious plans for the program, including partnering with local farms to provide fresh produce and launching educational programs to raise awareness about food insecurity. One of her goals is to help build a stronger network of support within her depot and community, so that giving becomes second nature - not just something we do during a campaign.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Sasha for her outstanding contributions and invite everyone to join us in combating food insecurity.
Tom Divers
Tom Divers, Unit Manager, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., has been a dedicated Purolator Tackle Hunger champion since the early days of the program, more than 20 years ago.
Tom’s involvement began with a surprise call from his manager asking him to appear in a Purolator Tackle Hunger commercial. That brief on-screen moment—filmed at Brock University with Danny MacManus, former Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarter back, sparked a strong commitment to the cause.
“I was only on screen for three seconds, but people still recognized me from the commercials,” said Tom. “It was a memorable day, and it drove my passion for the cause.” Since then, Tom has volunteered at every CFL Purolator Tackle Hunger Game Day Food Drives, the Labour Day Classic game, and led numerous food drives.
“Hamiltonians are so generous and I love that we always lead in how much we raised,” said Tom. “Every year I thought, how can we beat last year?”
After relocating from Mount Hope to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., in 2018, he became a key leader of the food drives in Beamsville and Smithville.
Recently, Tom organized Purolator Tackle Hunger’s first partnership campaign with the Spring It Forward Food Drive with Seaway Mall in Welland, Ont. Volunteers and couriers handed out Red Bags to customers, schools and grocery stores in the community with a call to action to return the full bags to the mall. The successful campaign raised more than 50,000 pounds of food for three local food banks.
Additionally, as part of Purolator Tackle Hunger Month, Tom has generously pledged to match every dollar donated by the team at the Niagara-on-the-Lake terminal.
Tom’s team is equally as passionate about Purolator Tackle Hunger as he is, and he never has a problem getting volunteers. “If anything, we have too many volunteers. When I ask them, they say ‘when and where?’,” said Tom. “They love it as much as I do. It’s wonderful and I couldn’t do it without them.”
His motivation is simple: “We have great jobs here, and there are people who can’t afford food. I just love serving the community.”
Tom is committed to growing awareness and participation in Purolator Tackle Hunger. “I’m proud to work for Purolator,” he said. “And I’ll keep doing this every year—you don’t have to ask me twice.”
Ron Kennedy
Our Ville Saint-Pierre, Que., team has quickly emerged as one of the top fundraising teams for our Purolator Tackle Hunger (PTH) program. This is attributed in part to their dedicated champion, Ron Kennedy, District Manager for Ville Saint-Pierre, Gatineau and Val d’Or. Ron's journey with Purolator spans an impressive 36 years and his dedication to both his work and his community is truly inspirational.
The first PTH Red Bag food drive Ron led was last summer in his own neighbourhood, where he, along with his family and colleagues, distributed 500 Red Bags. His neighbours filled the bags resulting in 2,780 pounds of food raised for Head & Hands Food Bank. On collection day, Ron was thrilled with the community's response. "I’m a people person and it was just so nice to be out there with the community offering to help," Ron shared.
Last year in January, Ron participated in a charity softball tournament for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where they also collected Red Bags filled with food in support of the local food bank.
This year, Quebecers faced a tough winter. Despite enduring two back-to-back snowstorms, Ron and his courageous team pressed on, distributing and collecting bags in challenging conditions. They scaled record-high snowbanks to ensure the success of their “Winter Classic” Red Bag campaign. Thanks to their determination, and the generosity of the community, more than 2,000 pounds of food were delivered to their local food bank partner.
Ron fondly remembers the many heartwarming interactions he had with community members during the Red Bag campaign. One particularly memorable moment from the Verdun Fall campaign last year involved an 80-year-old man who rode his bicycle to catch our truck and drop off his donation. Although the team initially missed picking up his Red Bag, they were still in the neighborhood and were overjoyed to see the elderly man so eager to make his contribution.
"It gives me a sense of fulfillment being able to help my community," Ron said. "The opportunity allows me to follow my heart and make a difference in people's lives. One of the terminals that I manage has great enthusiasm and I’m trying to get more engagement and build the culture of giving among the other terminals in the region."
Looking ahead, Ron hopes to continue helping the community, especially during tough times. Ron's dedication to helping others is a shining example, inspiring everyone to do their part in making their communities better.
