Helping hungry children ‘a no-brainer’ for real estate team

For as long as Scott Moore’s been aware of real estate, he’s understood there are people less fortunate than he is.

When Moore was a boy growing up in Sudbury, Ont., his grandfather owned and managed small apartment buildings. Moore accompanied the man he called Papa to collect rent at the beginning of the month.

He proudly listened to his grandfather’s stories of acquiring the buildings, fixing them and providing a better quality of life for both his tenants and himself.

Meanwhile, Moore’s mother ran group homes for underprivileged children.

“I always knew that if I ever did any kind of business, I’d like to give back,” says Moore, who runs the Moore Group at Century 21 Bachman & Associates.

That’s why the Moore Group is launching its eighth-annual breakfast food drive in support of William Whyte, a kindergarten-to-Grade 8 school in the North End.

From now until Dec. 15, the group is inviting the public to drop off non-perishable food donations at any of its open houses or at one of the 14 locations listed at http://wfp.to/AZ7.

The group is specifically requesting breakfast foods, including cereal, oatmeal, granola, juice, powdered milk and pancake mix, but all non-perishable items are welcome.

Many families in the William Whyte catchment area live below the low-income cutoff and the school serves as a hub that helps people facing food insecurity. The items that the Moore Group collects will be used for the hampers the school distributes on an as-needed basis.

Moore started the food drive in 2017 after reading a Free Press article about the school’s breakfast program.

“It struck me that this is something we can help out with,” the 45-year-old says. “And we’ve been doing it ever since.”

Teams from the South Winnipeg Hockey Association have been involved over the years, as well as businesses including Investia Financial Services and Leopold’s Tavern (all six of the chain’s Winnipeg locations collect donations).

Moore credits his team — Reid Boles, Stephanie Baron, Phil Gear, David Van Benthem, Julia Allen and Manpinder Dhillon — with helping to make the food drive a success.

He also has high praise for the staff at William Whyte, saying, “Our job is the easy part compared to the teachers’.”

The school appreciates the donations, says vice-principal Lindsey Trudeau, who runs William Whyte’s nutrition program.

“This time of year is hard for families,” she says. “Being able to help in certain circumstances when hard times hit a family really means a lot.”

Trudeau calls the Moore Group’s efforts “amazing.”

“They always look forward to coming and dropping off their donations,” she says. “They’re very warm when they’re here.”

For Moore, giving back has become a key part of doing business.

“It’s a non-negotiable that we give back,” he says. “I believe every business should have something like this, and many do. This happens to be our cause, and I wouldn’t do it any different. There’s children who are hungry. It’s a no-brainer.”

If you know a special volunteer, email aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca.

Aaron Epp
Reporter

Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron.

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