The Thrifty Foods Cloverdale team is supporting access to local mental health care with a donation to the Greater Victoria Citizens' Counselling Centre, an organization dedicated to providing affordable mental health services to adults in the region.
The centre offers individual and couples counselling, as well as psychoeducational groups, all facilitated by trained volunteer counsellors. Their services operate on a sliding fee scale, ensuring accessibility for individuals across various income levels. The Centre's mission is to assist community members in achieving socially and psychologically satisfying lives through quality, accessible counselling.
Kurtis Francis, Store Manager at Thrifty Foods Cloverdale, emphasized the alignment between the grocery store's values and the Centre's mission. “We pride ourselves on providing community support to many different organizations throughout the year. With Citizens', we felt some similarities in the sense they too are providing support to the community,” Francis says.
“When learning more about the organization, I was pleased to note they focus on creating a safe place for anybody and everybody to seek support should they need it,” he says.
“A culture of safety and inclusion for our staff and customers is something that is really important to us,” he adds, noting one of Thrifty Foods Cloverdale's own employees is a volunteer counsellor at the Centre.
“For staff, customers and anyone else in the public who are struggling, it's important to note there are really great resources available at Citizens' Counselling Centre, and I encourage you to use their services,” Francis says.
The grocery store supports organizations focused on building healthier tomorrows by addressing mental and physical health needs. Their support is centred on removing barriers to accessing healthy and affordable food and early interventions in child and youth mental health.
For more information about the Greater Victoria Citizens' Counselling Centre and the services they offer, visit their website at citizenscounselling.com and visit the grocery store at thriftyfoods.com.