Rabba Fine Foods hosts 2022 Super Bowl dinner at Good Shepherd

Rabba superbowl food drive — Staff at The Good Shepherd Ministries in Toronto serve a warm Super Bowl meal to their community members and residents of the centre thanks to a partnership with Rabba Fine Foods and its community giving program, Rabba Roots. On Sunday, February 13, 2022, Rabba and select partners will provide close to 1,000 meals and care packages – 100 of which will be given out during the Super Bowl game.

TORONTO, February 11, 2022 – On Super Bowl Sunday, many of us will be surrounded by warm food, friends, security and camaraderie. Inspired by the game’s ability to bring people together, Rabba Fine Foods continues its annual tradition of celebrating Super Bowl Sunday with the community of men, staff and volunteers at Good Shepherd Ministries community shelter in downtown Toronto. With the support of longstanding partners including Procter & Gamble Canada, Maple Leaf Foods and Nestlé Canada, the local grocer has increased its donation to Good Shepherd to ensure there is enough food for close to 1,000 meals and individual care packages. This contribution will help the Good Shepherd continue to feed and provide essential items to persons in need throughout the GTA not only on Superbowl Sunday but over the cold winter weeks to come.

“The big game and surrounding festivities are always fun to watch,” says Rima Rabba, head of Rabba Roots, the company’s community giving program. “But the most memorable part of the evening is being connected to others – through the wonders of technology and television, certainly, but even more so with those closest to us. We consider ourselves lucky to be able to support the men at this shelter and the countless people who serve them daily.”

This year’s donation includes Super Bowl staples like wings, fries and jumbo hot dogs. Rabba Fine Foods and its closest partners also secured a wide assortment of goods such as fresh produce, bread, beverages and personal hygiene products. Up to one thousand homeless men will benefit from the food and personal care packages. The month of February and the frigid weather it brings is often a difficult time for persons living on the streets, in shelters, or facing housing or food insecurity.

“Like Thanksgiving and other special holidays, Super Bowl Sunday can be one of those moments when our homeless guests feel particularly lonely and left out,” says Kirk McMahon, a senior manager at Good Shepherd and responsible for hospitality and housing services. “Thanks to the generosity of Rabba Roots and its partners, our homeless guests will enjoy the game together and connect in spirit with everyone out there who is watching the game with family and friends.”

Held annually since 2015, Rabba first sponsored the dinner in 2018.

“We wanted to express a clear message to these men that they are not forgotten,” said Rick Rabba, president of Rabba. “My father came to Canada with nothing, and there isn’t a thing that makes me different from the guests of the Good Shepherd except luck.”

In 2021, Good Shepherd served 228,524 meals, gave safe overnight shelter to 762 homeless guests and helped 57 homeless men plus 10 homeless veterans secure housing. In 2022, the registered charity plans to continue to offer the basic necessities of life – something so many of us take for granted, while increasing its efforts to help homeless individuals with complex health needs by connecting them with health care services and housing.

For more information on the work of Good Shepherd, or to make a donation, please visit goodshepherd.ca.