Watch: Cancarb spreads kindness, grows veggies for Medicine Hat Food Bank

MEDICINE HAT, Alberta—One Canadian-based carbon black manufacturer has adjusted its work force strategy to the pandemic by not just having some of its employees work from home, but simultaneously ramping up its community outreach and corporate social responsibility efforts.

Cancarb Ltd. has partnered with the Medicine Hat Food Bank to deliver food to local residents in need. The manufacturer also has purchased a nearby greenhouse where it is maintaining tomatoes and other vegetables for donation to the food bank.

The work with Medicine Hat Food Bank is the latest example of Cancarb's emphasis on the importance of supporting its community. But it also has given employees operating remotely a chance to meet up in a safe environment while working toward a cause that everyone believes in, Cancarb President Peter Donnelly said.

"We have a great group of caring employees but haven't been able to all work together since (the pandemic) started," Donnelly said. While his company's operational and manufacturing team members do have to work onsite, members of the sales, marketing and finance teams—along with other back-office employees—generally have worked from home since March 2020.

"With the negativity and stress we have all felt over the last couple of years, this effort has been a very positive outcome," Donnelly added. "It has been nice to see smiles on the faces of our colleagues."

Starting late last summer, several Cancarb employees volunteered to deliver food hampers—boxes of dairy products, meats, fresh vegetables and fruits and packaged goods—to area residents in need. Even a few retired Cancarb employees joined in since the need for food delivery was heightened. Since COVID-19, the food bank limited in-person visits and interactions with volunteers. Many of its most reliable volunteers were retired seniors, who were considered high risk for the virus and were largely unavailable.

As employees began consistently delivering these food items, the company discovered a local greenhouse that was for sale and decided to use it as a way to further support the food bank. Team members learned how to prepare and grow tomatoes in the greenhouse. Everyone from executives to junior associates and summer college-aged workers have dug dirt, planted seeds and weeded the greenhouse to make sure that it is maintained properly.

Donnelly expects that more than 150 pounds of tomatoes will be delivered to the Medicine Hat Food Bank from the greenhouse in 2021 alone.

The company has developed #CancarbCares as a way to communicate its commitment to the community, and a range of sustainable causes. It allows employees to take time off during the workday for these charitable causes without using PTO time. Employees this fall are involved in harvesting tomatoes at the new greenhouse.

Donnelly said that Cancarb doesn't engage in these efforts for the publicity, but that there are a number of other benefits to getting involved in these charitable causes, besides the positive impact the community support offers. He said that employees feel proud to say they work for Cancarb, and that this work helps them gather together outside of the typical work environment in a collaborative way. Any investment in the greenhouse and maintaining the garden is more than offset by employee satisfaction, which leads to employee retention.

"It's a chance to spend time with each other in a different light, which I think helps with (morale)," Donnelly said.

Cancarb also discovered the importance of investing in the personal well-being of its employees during the pandemic. As a result, it instituted a well-being class for its employees that includes remote fitness and yoga classes that employees can participate in at home or anywhere they want on their own time.

Cancarb is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tokai Carbon Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, Japan. Its Thermax carbon black is uniquely made from natural gas. About 75 percent of the company's special grade products are shipped to clients operating in the global rubber manufacturing sector. The majority of those clients are in the automotive industry and use Cancarb's materials as end products for seals, gaskets and the like.

The company employs about 80 professionals in Medicine Hat, and its manufacturing facility runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep up with demand. It will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023 and sells products to clients in more than 40 countries.

Donnelly expects the company to continue supporting local charitable efforts and is looking forward to seeing how the greenhouse progresses and if new fresh vegetables will be added in the future.

"It just feels good for all of us to be engaged in the process," he said.

"It feels like we are making a difference for others during a very difficult time."