Foodland owners support food bank
After three weeks as the new owners of Foodland Creemore, Shannon and Alain Lemay are marvelling at what a vibrant community Creemore is.
“We knew it was quaint and cute, but we were not expecting how busy the town is,” said Shannon. “We met lots of people during arts fest weekend and now we’re really looking forward to the Halloween event at Village Green and the Santa Claus Parade.”
The Lemays are big supporters of community events, and look forward to getting involved.
“We love how in small towns people are willing to really invest in their community.”
Shannon originally hails from Nova Scotia, where the two met. Alain grew up in Toronto, where his father had a career in the grocery business, culminating with an operations role at Sobeys.
Alain has been with the Sobeys/ Foodland organization for more than 14 years, having run various locations including Cookstown and Stroud. He will continue to run the Sobeys franchise in Angus, while Shannon will have primary responsibility for the Creemore Foodland location.
When they’re not busy keeping the stores clean and stocked and running efficiently, Shannon says most of their time is spent in local arenas.
“We’re hockey parents. We have an 11-year-old son who is a forward for the TNT Tornadoes in Alliston so most of our free time is devoted to hockey,” she said.
During the off season, they enjoy boating and water sports.
Shannon says, so far, one of her favourite things about Creemore is the pub.
“We’re really looking forward to meeting people and getting involved,” said Shannon. “We like cards and euchre, and I might like to try curling.”
To kick off their relationship with the community, the Lemays made a $2,500 donation to the local food bank.
“We’ll also be asking for donations to our Christmas hamper fund at the checkout, and selling food bank bags for $15 each,” said Shannon. “The contents are tailored to whatever the food bank needs, including canned foods, dry goods and hygiene items.”
The Lemays look forward to working closely with the food bank and other community groups.
Bonnie MacPherson photo: St. Luke’s Community Food Bank volunteers Ross Lotto (from left) and Lorna May accept a $2,500 donation from the new owners of Creemore Foodland, Alain and Shannon Lemay.
