Fire Up the Grill: Celebrate the 21st Annual Charity BBQ Day on
Saturday, May 9, 2009!

Join M&M Meat Shops and CCFC to help raise $2.1 million
for Crohn’s and Colitis Research!

On Saturday, May 9, 2009, Canadians can help cook up a cure!  Visit any of the more than 480 M&M Meat Shops locations across Canada to support the 21st Annual M&M Meat Shops Charity BBQ Day benefiting Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC).

M&M Meat Shops’ franchisees, staff and thousands of volunteers from coast to coast will grill hamburgers and hot dogs to meet the 21st Annual Charity BBQ Day fundraising goal of

$2.1 million.  On May 9th, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., supporters will receive a hamburger or hot dog, a drink and a bag of chips for a minimum donation of $2.50.  All product and time is donated, so every penny raised goes directly to the CCFC for its research programs.  From Friday, April 3, 2009 until Friday, May 8, 2009, Canadians can support the initiative in-store by purchasing and signing a Charity BBQ Day Star for $2.

Breaking Records for a Cure

From humble beginnings, M&M Meat Shops Charity BBQ Day has grown into CCFC’s largest annual fundraising activity by any single supporter. Over the past 20 years, M&M Meat Shops has raised more than $16.5 million for medical research dedicated to finding a cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, two similar yet distinct conditions also known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). 

Canada has among the highest incidence of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in the world, yet the public profile of these “taboo” diseases continues to be low.  There are more than 200,000 Canadians suffering from IBD. It is a painful and unpredictable disorder, there is no known cause or cure and the number of cases continues to grow.  The money raised through events such as Charity BBQ Day have allowed CCFC to fund more than $56 million in medical research projects. 

Charity BBQ Day began in 1988, when Mac Voisin, founder of M&M Meat Shops learned that Canadians suffer from IBD at an unusually high rate.  He quickly realized that he had the unique opportunity to help raise awareness and funds for a little-known condition and a Canadian charity.  .  Charity BBQ Day was born and the CCFC gained both a corporate sponsor and a public voice.  Over the past 20 years, Charity BBQ Day has grown rapidly.  Last year $2,050,000 was raised and this year the goal is set at $2.1 million.

“What began in 1988 with just a handful of stores has evolved into a national event at more than 480 M&M Meat Shops locations across Canada.  We are celebrating 21 years of fundraising for the CCFC and Charity BBQ Day has definitely become an expression of who we are as a company. The commitment of our franchisees and volunteers in communities from coast-to-coast is phenomenal and we thank everyone for their dedication,” says Mac Voisin.  “Our goal is to help find a cure so that our event can become an annual celebration of the cure for IBD.”

The success of Charity BBQ Day depends on the generous contributions of several partners including Frito-Lay, who donate products for this event.

$2.50 Hamburgers Help Find a Cure

“We are extremely grateful to those who support M&M Meat Shops Charity BBQ Day,” says CCFC CEO, Dr. Kevin Glasgow.  “Our 21-year-partnership with M&M Meat Shops has made an enormous difference in our effort to find a cure for IBD and the generous donations, combined with the hard work of thousands of volunteers, raise a significant portion of our annual research funds in just one day.”

Much of the money raised through Charity BBQ Day is used to help fund the IBD Research Institute, which studies all aspects of the disease.  With this support, CCFC is:

• Investing in the most talented researchers
• Releasing study results showing the incidence and prevalence of IBD in Canada and the real “burden” of this disease on patients, their families and Canadian health care
• Using the research findings from this study to communicate with governments and other funding bodies to increase their awareness and support of IBD research
• Funding collaborations involving various researchers and research centres to find the cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis

Proud Partners

A Kitchener-based business, M&M Meat Shops opened its first store in 1980. Over the past 28 years, the chain has grown to more than 480 locations across Canada.  M&M Meat Shops offers hundreds of meal ideas for today’s busy families in just one aisle, with products ranging from succulent steaks to delicious desserts and convenient meal ideas.  For more information on
M&M Meat Shops or for tips on hundreds of meal ideas visit www.mmmeatshops.com.

The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC) is a voluntary, not-for-profit, medical research foundation dedicated to finding the cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.  The Foundation is also committed to educating IBD patients, their families, health professionals and the general public about the diseases.  For more information about the CCFC, please visit www.ccfc.ca.

For more information or to find the store nearest you, please contact Allison Lawrence or
Ive Balins at Strategic Objectives.

Tel: (416) 366-7735; Fax: (416) 366-2295; Email: alawrence@strategicobjectives.com.