Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the northside A&W in Grande Prairie is hoping to continue its streak of being the top fundraising restaurant in Canada as part of Burgers to Beat MS for an eighth straight year.
In 2019, and for the seventh year in a row, the A&W on 100 Street took home the honour after raking in $61,000 for the MS Society of Canada in just 24 hours. The fundraiser dedicates $2 from each Teen Burger sold across the country, and the Grande Prairie location first reached the top spot back in 2013.
A&W Area Manager Elaine Chateauneuf says the fundraising effort is something they take a lot of pride in. She points to the Grande Prairie community overall in making it possible to even come close to the top of the heap.
“They give, and they’re very generous. The community has helped us to become number one for the last seven years; we are very thankful and grateful.”
She admits, however, that the pandemic has caused a bit of a strain on the pre-day totals, as a lack of public events has limited the amount of in-person fundraising available.
“We usually do a lot of things to raise the big numbers, but this year we weren’t able to get into the community and give back, doing things like barbeques and different things we normally do, but we are still doing the best we can.”
Chateauneuf says special 2020 Burgers to Beat MS t-shirts will remain available until they’re sold out, which will hopefully raise even more money for the cause. The final tally of fundraiser dollars is normally released a day or two after the event.