IKEA Richmond and Richmond Food Bank partner to support local families for Back to School
RICHMOND, BC, July 2, 2025 /CNW/ – IKEA Richmond is teaming up with the Richmond Food Bank to help create a better everyday life for children and youth in the community heading back to school without proper essentials, such as lunch bags, reusable food containers, water bottles and other beverage containers. With 18 percent of Richmond Food Bank clients being school-aged children, this initiative aims to ensure every child returns to school nourished, confident, and ready to learn.
From July 7 to August 10, 2025, IKEA Richmond will collect back to school essentials that help children bring nutritious lunches and snacks to school. To amplify community support, IKEA Richmond will match the retail value of donated IKEA 'Back to School' essentials up to a maximum of $5,000.
The rising cost of living has made it increasingly difficult for many families to afford both food and school supplies. For families relying on the food bank, the added burden of back-to-school expenses can be overwhelming.
'At IKEA, our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people,' says Maria Valley, Communications Responsible at IKEA Richmond. 'We believe every child deserves the opportunity to thrive at school, and that starts with being well-fed and well-prepared. By working together with the Richmond Food Bank, we're helping families stretch their budgets further while supporting children's health and education.'
How the community can make a difference.
Double the impact. For every IKEA 'Back to School' item donated at IKEA Richmond during the campaign period, IKEA Richmond will match with similar products up to a maximum of $5000 retail value. A list of suggested products including lunch bags, reusable food containers, water bottles, beverage containers and more can be found by visiting IKEA.ca/richmondfoodbank
Donate non-IKEA essentials. IKEA Richmond will support as a drop-off location for non-perishable food items such as canned protein (chicken, turkey, meat, fish, beans and chickpeas), canned vegetables and fruits, rice and pasta.
Spread the word. Share the campaign with friends, family, and local organization to maximize the community impact.
'We're seeing more families than ever before turning to us for help,' says Hajira Hussain, Executive Director of the Richmond Food Bank. 'With school-aged children making up nearly one-fifth of our clients, this initiative couldn't come at a better time. We're grateful to IKEA Richmond for stepping up to support our community in such a meaningful way.'
This partnership is tied to the IKEA Neighborhoods initiative, IKEA Canada's broader commitment to affordability and community support. IKEA Neighborhoods is about creating positive social impact for the many people, by using our business capabilities such as home furnishing expertise, our product range, our IKEA stores and the IKEA co-workers. This approach contributes to local communities to be fairer, more inclusive and more sustainable neighborhoods. At IKEA, creating positive social impact is good for business and for society. This initiative relies on the expertise of community partners, such as Richmond Food Bank, to help identify the neighborhood's most critical issues and to co-create impactful solutions.
Donations of IKEA and non-IKEA back to school essentials for Richmond Food Bank are accepted at IKEA Richmond, 3320 Jacombs Road, Richmond, BC V6V 1Z6 during store opening hours from July 7 – August 10, 2025.
Every donation, no matter how small, can make a big difference for a family in the community.
For more details, visit IKEA.ca/richmondfoodbank
ABOUT RICHMOND FOOD BANKThe Richmond Food Bank Society is a charitable organization and a member of Food Banks BC and Food Banks Canada. Their mission is to provide food assistance, advocacy and related support to community members in need, with a vision for a caring community where no one goes hungry. The Richmond Food Bank gives health and nutritionally-balanced food to more than 2,800 people in average week, providing Richmond resident with healthy food choices and connecting their clients to services that address the route causes of poverty. For more information, visit www.rfbs.org
ABOUT IKEA CANADAFounded in 1943 in Sweden, IKEA is a leading home furnishing retailer, offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible can afford them. IKEA Canada is part of Ingka Group which operates 574 IKEA stores, shops and planning studios in 31 countries, including 16 in Canada. Last year, IKEA Canada welcomed 32.6 million visitors to its stores and 162.6 million visitors to IKEA.ca. IKEA Canada operates business through the IKEA vision – to create a better everyday life for the many people and does so through its local community efforts and sustainability initiatives. For more information on IKEA Canada, please visit IKEA.ca
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Double the impact: IKEA Richmond will match back to school essentials donated by customers. RICHMOND, BC, July 2, 2025 /CNW/ – IKEA Richmond is teaming up with the Richmond Food Bank to help create a better everyday life for children and youth in the community heading back to school without proper essentials, such as lunch bags, reusable food containers, water bottles and other beverage containers. With 18 percent of Richmond Food Bank clients being school-aged children, this initiative aims to ensure every child returns to school nourished, confident, and ready to learn. From July 7 to August 10, 2025, IKEA Richmond will collect back to school essentials that help children bring nutritious lunches and snacks to school. To amplify community support, IKEA Richmond will match the retail value of donated IKEA 'Back to School' essentials up to a maximum of $5,000. The rising cost of living has made it increasingly difficult for many families to afford both food and school supplies. For families relying on the food bank, the added burden of back-to-school expenses can be overwhelming. 'At IKEA, our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people,' says Maria Valley, Communications Responsible at IKEA Richmond. 'We believe every child deserves the opportunity to thrive at school, and that starts with being well-fed and well-prepared. By working together with the Richmond Food Bank, we're helping families stretch their budgets further while supporting children's health and education.' How the community can make a difference. Double the impact. For every IKEA 'Back to School' item donated at IKEA Richmond during the campaign period, IKEA Richmond will match with similar products up to a maximum of $5000 retail value. A list of suggested products including lunch bags, reusable food containers, water bottles, beverage containers and more can be found by visiting Donate non-IKEA essentials. IKEA Richmond will support as a drop-off location for non-perishable food items such as canned protein (chicken, turkey, meat, fish, beans and chickpeas), canned vegetables and fruits, rice and pasta. Spread the word. Share the campaign with friends, family, and local organization to maximize the community impact. 'We're seeing more families than ever before turning to us for help,' says Hajira Hussain, Executive Director of the Richmond Food Bank. 'With school-aged children making up nearly one-fifth of our clients, this initiative couldn't come at a better time. We're grateful to IKEA Richmond for stepping up to support our community in such a meaningful way.' This partnership is tied to the IKEA Neighborhoods initiative, IKEA Canada's broader commitment to affordability and community support. IKEA Neighborhoods is about creating positive social impact for the many people, by using our business capabilities such as home furnishing expertise, our product range, our IKEA stores and the IKEA co-workers. This approach contributes to local communities to be fairer, more inclusive and more sustainable neighborhoods. At IKEA, creating positive social impact is good for business and for society. This initiative relies on the expertise of community partners, such as Richmond Food Bank, to help identify the neighborhood's most critical issues and to co-create impactful solutions. Donations of IKEA and non-IKEA back to school essentials for Richmond Food Bank are accepted at IKEA Richmond, 3320 Jacombs Road, Richmond, BC V6V 1Z6 during store opening hours from July 7 – August 10, 2025. Every donation, no matter how small, can make a big difference for a family in the community. For more details, visit ABOUT RICHMOND FOOD BANKThe Richmond Food Bank Society is a charitable organization and a member of Food Banks BC and Food Banks Canada. Their mission is to provide food assistance, advocacy and related support to community members in need, with a vision for a caring community where no one goes hungry. The Richmond Food Bank gives health and nutritionally-balanced food to more than 2,800 people in average week, providing Richmond resident with healthy food choices and connecting their clients to services that address the route causes of poverty. For more information, visit ABOUT IKEA CANADAFounded in 1943 in Sweden, IKEA is a leading home furnishing retailer, offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible can afford them. IKEA Canada is part of Ingka Group which operates 574 IKEA stores, shops and planning studios in 31 countries, including 16 in Canada. Last year, IKEA Canada welcomed 32.6 million visitors to its stores and 162.6 million visitors to IKEA Canada operates business through the IKEA vision – to create a better everyday life for the many people and does so through its local community efforts and sustainability initiatives. For more information on IKEA Canada, please visit
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