Tim Curry and his wife have been with Canadian Tire for 25 years.
They’ve operated the Langford store for the last nine of those and Curry says it’s always been important to them that they give back to the communities that support them.
“We really love to get involved with the community,” he says. “Every time we’ve moved to one, one of the first things we do is see where we can help.”
When they arrived on the West Shore, they established three main places they would give back: the Victoria Women’s Transition House, the SPCA and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Victoria.
“We wanted to focus our (charity) efforts on some of the causes where the dollars we donate or raise stay in the community and help right here,” Curry says.
This past Christmas season, he and his staff raised money by asking for donations at the till from their customers for the SPCA, then matched those donations.
“Our customers showed fantastic support again this year and donated almost $2,700, so we matched that and rounded it up to donate a total of $5,400.”
Curry smiles as he thinks of some days in the Langford store. As one of the “pet-friendly” retailers in the area, he says they sometimes see 50 dogs on leashes with their owners inside the store during the course of a day, especially during the hot summer months.
“You won’t probably believe this, but we once had a pig on a leash walking around with its owners,” he says, laughing.
Those people who would like to support Canadian Tire’s efforts in the community can swing by the Currys’ store at Westshore Town Centre on Langford Parkway – bring your pet if you want – and add to one of the many donation buckets around the tills.
mdavies@goldstreamgazette.com