1 million meals? DYMON steps in to double gifts on Giving Tuesday

It takes strong businesses to support a strong community, and it takes a strong community to support strong businesses. Good companies steward their profits well for the good of customers, employees and the community, and one of those great companies is our partner, DYMON.

The storage solutions company was the naming partner of the expanded DYMON Health Clinic, which opened in 2019. Thanks to Dymon’s generous support, the Dymon Health Clinic provides quality medical and dental care to men and women in the community who may otherwise go without. Last year alone, the Dymon Health Clinic hosted 15,362 primary care appointments. This was a lifeline for many, particularly during the toughest days of the pandemic.

This is part of the reason we nominated DYMON for the AFP “Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist” award, and we weren’t surprised at all when they won. “They have a great leadership team,” says Erin Helmer, our Senior Officer of Corporate Philanthropy and Partnerships. “Dymon is a local company that started here in Ottawa, and they are very passionate about giving back.”

For the past several years, Dymon has been matching Giving Tuesday donations made to The Ottawa Mission. Held on the Tuesday after American Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday is designed as a counterbalance to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It’s a day focused on spending money for the good of others instead of just on ourselves. This year Giving Tuesday will be on November 30th, and DYMON is ready to double the impact of donors’ gifts once again. In fact, they’re also committed to doubling the gifts made to The Ottawa Mission by any of Dymon’s employees.

As Dymon has grown, they’ve continued to evolve. They started off developing premier storage facilities and have expanded into home décor retail for storage-related needs and into custom closet and kitchen design and installation. Dymon has recently expanded into Toronto, and they show no signs of slowing down.

Even as Dymon expands beyond its original borders, they remain committed to Ottawa and its needs. “They don’t ever forget their roots and where they started,” says Erin. “They continue to be wonderful partners of The Ottawa Mission.”

This year’s Giving Tuesday funds will support the most immediate need in our community: the shocking rise in hunger. The need for meals has climbed more than 80% since the beginning of the pandemic. Before then, we were serving over 1,400 meals a day. With the surge of hunger and instability caused by COVID-19, we now serve about 2,500 meals a day. If current trends continue, that could mean almost 1 million meals needed in the coming year, right here in Ottawa.

With companies like DYMON investing in the community, we can meet this level of need. And thanks to programs in mental health and addiction treatment, job training, education and housing supports, we are working hard to reverse the trends. It’s always a good time to invest in these programs, but thanks to the DYMON match, your gift on Giving Tuesday will go twice as far.