Lunchbox Challenge: free food to construction crews
April 29, 2020
Workers at Scott Construction’s building sites in the Lower Mainland of B.C., Calgary, Alberta, and Milton, Ontario, will be enjoying free food from local restaurants as Scott’s Lunchbox Challenge campaign gains recruits across the country.
On April 17 , 30 workers at a Scott’s West Van Municipal Hall and Fire Hall project enjoyed lunch from Nell’s Kitchen and April 24 saw 45 workers treated to Mexican takeout at a construction site in Richmond.
Scott Construction, one of B.C.’s largest construction firms, came up with the #lunchbucket challenge concept in March as a way to encourage workers on its job sites as well as help struggling restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the eight Scott projects underway, two are multi-family residential developments.
“It is a very simple concept,” said Donna Grant, marketing and project pursuit manager with Scott.
“Scott buys lunch for its workers from local restaurants recommended by the workers. The company will serve each site weekly on a rotating basis,” she said. B.C. projects include the Link multi-family rental building in Vancouver. The Milton project is a four-storey commercial complex scheduled to complete this summer.
The challenge is catching on with the Vancouver Regional Construction Association and the BC Construction Association (BCCA) offering support. The Greater Vancouver Home Builders’Association, is also looking at getting on board, and Grant hopes the challenge is accepted across Canada.
ITC Construction Group, which has 16 construction projects underway in B.C. and Alberta, has already signed on.
“ITC is excited to accept the Lunchbox Challenge to acknowledge our workforce and especially support our local community businesses and restaurants that are impacted by our current global challenges,” said Harold Barisoff, ITC vice president, construction.
“When all this is done, our job sites will still want those local places to go to for lunch and if we support them, they will be there,” said Grant.
Restaurants, many of which have seen a dramatic loss of business during the COVID-19 crisis, are chosen by the construction workers who know local restaurants and nominate them online through social media using the #lunchbucket tag.
Grant noted that the lunches have also been a good way to practice safety protocols. Meals, utensils and condiments are individually packaged and workers enjoy their lunch at a safe distance from each other.
While Scott Construction started the challenge with a single site, both Scott and ITC say they will buy lunches once a week until they’ve treated staff at every one of their construction sites.