During the week of October 16, Uniag Cooperative celebrated its fifth anniversary as well as “Cooperation Week” with a campaign to help support the mental health of farmers. The theme of this year’s Cooperation Week was Historical Events, emphasizing the co-op’s history and the fifth anniversary of the merger between the Agri EST Coop, the Coop des Frontières, and the Uniforce Cooperative that created Coop Unifrontières which became the Uniag Cooperative.
A press release sent out by Uniag highlights that, “Although the cooperative model took shape towards the end of the 19th century, the roots of our agricultural cooperative go back to 1934, when the Coopérative de Sainte-Martine was founded.” In accordance with the theme, a video about the history was made and posted to its social media pages where “Agricultural producer members, former employees and current employees shared their respective memories.”
The objective, in addition to promoting the cooperative model, was to give back to organizations that work for the mental health of agricultural producers in the region. For every memory shared on its Facebook page, the Uniag Cooperative promised to donate two dollars to both Au Coeur des Familles Agricoles (ACFA) and the Canadian Mental Health Association in Ontario. Throughout the week, it collected 175 comments, post shares, and mentions. As a result, it was able to raise $350 for both organizations for a total of $700 in donations.
In addition to the fundraiser, a few ‘co-op squads’ made up of employees also met with members directly on the farm to thank them for their trust and loyalty. “I would like to thank all the clients and members who contribute to keeping Uniag Cooperative a healthy, strong cooperative,” said the Uniag Cooperative general manager, Sylvain Boyer, who highlighted the important contribution of co-op members to the vitality of the local economy before wishing all a good end to the fall harvest. (CF)
