When Brianna Bernardi found out the daughter of her long-time work friend Patrick Haw had been diagnosed with cancer, she knew she had to do something to help. “My heart broke when I found out. Shortly after her diagnosis Pat went off work due to an injury so I knew we had to do something,” recounts Brianna. So in just three weeks, with the help of her coworkers at the Save-On-Foods in Abbotsford, she raised $11,166 for Patrick and his family.

Brianna’s story is an example of the power of coming together and supporting each other, which is what the union hopes to inspire in members. She credits the success of her fundraising initiative to being part of a caring and healthy workplace community. “It was a store effort,” says Brianna. “There’s a sense of community here, because we are all union members and we are all in it together.”

Brianna was also supported in her fundraising efforts by her union representative, Jake Kardosh. “Sometimes this was all a bit too much for one person but Jake was always by my side.” Feeling supported by our union was also what also motivated Brianna to stand up in the first place. “Being part of a union makes me feel like someone always has my back at work. I can always pick up the phone and call if I have questions or need help. So I wanted to provide that same support for Pat.”

At UFCW 1518 we believe that we are stronger together. If you know someone in a non-unionized workplace who would like to build a healthy workplace community and achieve big things together, encourage them to check out our Join Us page.