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Community Investment

At Gay Lea Foods, we believe strong communities are the foundation of a thriving co-operative. That’s why we’re committed to giving back in meaningful ways to the places our members, employees, and their families call home.

We support a wide range of local events and initiatives, invest in charitable organizations through the Gay Lea Foundation, and provide vital employment in rural and urban communities alike. Our partnership with Second Harvest extends this impact nationally, helping to reduce food waste and fight food insecurity by redirecting surplus food to those who need it most.

We’re also proud stewards of Ontario’s dairy heritage through the Gay Lea Dairy Museum, where we offer hands-on educational experiences and co-operative learning opportunities that connect people to agriculture, history, and community.

Together, these efforts reflect our deep commitment to building stronger, more resilient communities now and into the future.

Gay Lea Foundation

Gay Lea Foundation

The Gay Lea Foundation is the official registered charity of Gay Lea Foods. Dedicated to the co-operative principle of “concern for community,” the Foundation supports impactful initiatives that promote education, health, wellness, poverty relief, and sustainable agriculture in Canada and beyond. Funded by Gay Lea Foods along with contributions from the co-operative’s community, the Foundation has awarded over $3.1 million to more than 170 registered charities since its creation in 2014, embracing co-operative principles and fostering grassroots change in communities worldwide.

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Gay Lea Foods x Second Harvest

Gay Lea Foods x Second Harvest

As part of its commitment to supporting healthy, sustainable communities, Gay Lea Foods is a proud partner of Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organization. Through a three-year, $1.2 million charitable commitment, the co-operative is helping recover and redistribute surplus, nutritious food to Canadians facing food insecurity. The partnership will provide the equivalent of 3.6 million meals to communities across the country, while reducing the amount of edible food sent to landfills. In addition to financial support and donating surplus dairy products from its production sites through Second Harvest’s Food Rescue program, Gay Lea Foods employees actively volunteer with Second Harvest to support food rescue and redistribution efforts, helping to ensure good food reaches those who need it most.

Gay Lea Dairy Museum

Gay Lea Dairy Museum

The Gay Lea Dairy Museum celebrates Ontario and Canada’s rich agricultural heritage. Originally founded by a farm couple in Aylmer, Ontario, and acquired by Gay Lea Foods in 2008, the Museum has grown into a vibrant hub of learning and preservation. Its unique collection of heritage artifacts is complemented by hands-on, year-round programming that explores not only dairy, but also agriculture, geography, Canadian history, art, entrepreneurship, co-operative values, and team-building.

The on-site Co-operative Education Centre (CEC) offers flexible facilities and engaging educational experiences for school groups, community clubs, corporate retreats, offsite meetings, and more, bringing people together through learning, history, and collaboration.

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