The Canadian arm of fast food giant McDonald’s is putting an undisclosed level of support behind a national organization devoted to mental health and wellness in farming
The Do More Agriculture Foundation announced Wednesday during the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Winnipeg that McDonald’s Canada is supporting “a new collaboration to support mental wellbeing in Canadian agriculture.”
Why It Matters
A partnership with a household name, one which in recent years has publicly centred its Canadian agrifood supply chains, could encourage consumer-level investment in helping farmers and farm families maintain and sustain quality of life
“We’re proud to begin this sponsorship with McDonald’s Canada because meaningful change happens when organizations across the agricultural value chain come together with a shared commitment to the producers who make Canadian agriculture possible,” foundation chair and Alberta rancher Emma Cross said in a release
The foundation said it wouldn’t disclose the financial details of McDonald’s contribution, other than to say the company is a “Champion Level” partner of Do More Ag
Champions are the foundation’s third tier of supporter, after Trailblazers and Leaders. Other Do More Ag Champions include Bayer, Corteva, Winfield United, Alberta’s Agriculture Financial Services Corp. (AFSC), Grain Farmers of Ontario and Alberta-based Porch Light Mental Wellness Society
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McDonald’s first step into collaboration with Do More Ag took the form of a roundtable discussion at this week’s conference, on the subject of “mental wellbeing and the collective role of the agricultural sector in supporting it.”
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That session, the foundation said, involved about “30 emerging leaders from Canada’s beef industry for an open conversation on mental wellbeing in agriculture and the role each part of the industry can play in making mental health a priority.”
“Bringing together young leaders from across the beef industry created an opportunity to foster courage for these open conversations, helping strengthen connections and reinforce that no one has to navigate the challenges of agriculture alone,” Do More Ag executive director Merle Massie said in the same release
Asked about the roundtable’s topics of discussion, a foundation spokesperson said the McDonald’s-backed meeting at the CBIC “reinforced the important role that community and peer support play in supporting mental health
“When asked who they would turn to first when in an emotional jam, participants consistently named friends, family, neighbours and other trusted people. This highlights the importance of building the courage and confidence to support one another, and making it easier for people to talk openly about mental wellbeing in agricultural communities.”
The foundation also noted recent “encouraging progress in the growing network of agriculture-informed mental health services across Canada, including regram.”
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