Shannon Wilson, Newcrest Mining’s Tahltan community investment coordinator, loads one of 400 meat hampers destined for the Tahltan communities of Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake and Iskut. (Thom Barker photo)

Newcrest Mining provides meat hampers to remote communities

Company established Community Support Fund to help Tahltan people through COVID-19

Newcrest Mining is once again giving back to the Tahltan communities of Northwest B.C.

The Australian gold mining company that operates and owns 70 per cent of the Red Chris mine in Tahltan territory is contributing 400 meat hampers to families in Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake and Iskut.

The meat was loaded onto a truck by staff of Bulkley Valley Wholesale (BVW) on Monday. Van Kam Freights, the company that delivers supplies to the mine, donated the refrigeration trailer and driver to transport the meat to the remote northern villages.

Shannon Wilson, Newcrest’s Tahltan Community Investment Coordinator was surprised and very pleased by how much food BVW was able to supply for the company’s dollar.

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“Another good story and another fantastic example of the type of standard Newcrest is setting; indeed, all other Canadian resource companies could learn a thing or two from Newcrest,” said Gordon Infanti, communications director for the Tahltan Central Government.

The meat hampers are part of Newcrest’s Community Support Fund, established to provide much-needed assistance to the communities they work in during the COVID-19 pandemic. The meat hampers specifically are a direct response to a call from the Tahltan Community Emergency Management Committee to help with food insecurity resulting from travel restrictions and high prices in those communities.

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Each of the hampers is a sturdy plastic storage tote that can be used for other purposes such as holding fish or for use to conduct other traditional activities such as berry picking.

“We would not be able to achieve these sorts of donations without the support from local businesses such as Bulkley Valley Wholesale and Van Kam Freights. Both companies are donating time and resources to help make this happen for the Tahltan people,” Newcrest said.


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