Bianca Mammarella is a UFCW 175 Union member employed in the grocery retail sector. She’s also a 2022 UFCW Canada equity grant recipient for McMaster Hope, a university-campus led initiative in Ontario which provides supports for prospective students facing adversity, along with addressing social justice barriers within the Hamilton region.

Bianca is one of the four co-founders McMaster Hope, which is a branch of the HOPE Initiative Foundation, and used the 2022 Equity Grant to support McMaster Hope’s initiatives throughout the year. McMaster Hope directly engages with the McMaster University community and the Hamilton community; they used the grant to help spearhead multiple events to empower students and raise awareness around the issues that marginalized communities face on a daily basis.

Their initiatives include Warmth of Winter, which aims to support Hamilton’s homeless population with long-lasting solutions. In 2022, they conducted fundraisers such as bottle drives to raise money to purchase and subsidies to donate to Good Shepherd, which is a local homeless shelter here in Hamilton.

Their other main initiative, HOPE for Success, strives to aid students in their transition to university through mentorship and a series of workshops such as financial literacy, and providing real life student advice.

Interested in applying for an Equity Grant in 2023?

Th UFCW Canada Equity Grant Program aims to support newcomer programs, human rights initiatives, and community action projects. Annually, the new Equity Grant Program will consist of a total of three grants – worth $1,000 each – made available to UFCW Canada members and allies.

• Eligibility: Open to UFCW members and community justice activists outside of UFCW who are currently engaged in or looking to engage in a social justice initiative.
• Grant Amount: A total of three $1000.00 grants are currently open for application until September 30, 2023 through the equity grant online platform. The vision of this program remains to advance equity-focused initiatives for UFCW members and community activists under three streams. These include the Newcomer/Immigration stream; the Human Rights stream and the Community Action/Social Justice stream. 
• Applying for the Equity Grant: The application process takes approximately 5-10 minutes to complete and the platform is accessible. Apply here!

By assisting UFCW members and community members, engaged community activists and students in addressing societal barriers to inclusion, the grant is a tangible initiative that mobilizes solidarity through community action and a solidarity approach.  In doing so, the UFCW Canada Equity Grant program upholds our union values which include recognizing the social justice work being undertaken by our membership and communities across Canada.