Cilantro and Chive's December Burger of the Month supported the ongoing mission of Echo Lacombe Food Rescue.
Guest Chef Jared Reich, a long-term board member of the Echo Lacombe Association, provided the creative juices for the Burger of the Month in Lacombe.
Two dollars from every sale of 'Jared’s Mozza Smash Burger' is going to his cause of choice - the Echo Lacombe Food Rescue.
Echo Food Rescue works to keep edible food out of the landfills and redistribute it in the community. This group of volunteers rescued over 300,000 lbs of food in 2024, and that’s 200,000 lbs more than they were able to rescue in 2023.
As Echo Food Rescue Manager Christina Sturgeon noted, all that food provided an incredible boost to area residents.
“All of it gets distributed back into our community, helping reduce food waste and making sure more people have access to what they need," she said.
Reich has volunteered his time with Echo Lacombe Association for nearly seven years, serving the last five as board president, and he’s passionate about how they are supporting the community.
“I wholeheartedly believe in the cause to reduce food waste and redistribute food in an effective manner that helps the community, and brings both volunteers and patrons closer together," he said.
Thanks to the support of the Burger of the Month program, Reich helped restaurant staff deliver $792 to Echo Lacombe Food Rescue.
Thanks to the support from the Burger of the Month program month after month, staffers have had the opportunity to give back over $175,000 to local charities
over the past 95 months.
Meanwhile, the January Burger of the Month at the Lacombe location is 'Kora’s Spring Chicken' - created in collaboration with local guest chef Kora Johnson.
Two dollars from every burger sold goes to her cause of choice - the Ronald McDonald House of Central Alberta.