August 8, 2025 (Ottawa, ON) – The Ottawa Community Housing Foundation (OCH Foundation) Pack-a-Sack program is bringing 22 Ottawa organizations together for its second annual 24-hour Pack-a-Thon. Volunteers will pack over 2,000 backpacks with school supplies for children and youth living in OCH communities.
Media are invited to join volunteers and partners packing hope into every backpack.
With the rising cost of living, preparing the return to school is incredibly challenging for most families. Expenses quickly add up when purchasing school supplies. The average monthly income of a family living in OCH is $1,775, and school supplies can easily cost over $100 per child. The program reduces the stress on families and gets children back to school ready to learn.
What: Packing backpacks full of school supplies
Where: Mikinak ARRIV building (255 Bareille Snow St.)
When: Friday, August 8, 2025 – 8:00 to 9:30 a.m.
8:00-8:10 – Arrival / Welcome Guests
8:10-8:20 – Traci Spour-Lafrance, Executive Director, OCH Foundation
8:20-8:25 – Pack-a-Sack Video
8:25-8:30 – Ottawa Community Housing tenant
8:30-8:35 – Bryce Conrad, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hydro Ottawa
8:35-8:40 – Call to action: Melissa Reeves, Board Chair
8:40-9:00 – Group photo and end of agenda
Media is invited to attend the event Friday morning, August 8th, from 8 to 9:30 am. Volunteers will also be packing Thursday from 1 to 8 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. If the media would like to schedule a visit other than Friday morning from 8-9:30 a.m., please contact either Annie Premachuk or Pranav Kohli
Visuals: At 9 a.m., 15 Price Waterhouse Coopers volunteers and members of the OCH Foundation Board of Directors will be packing backpacks with school supplies for school-aged tenants living within Ottawa Community Housing communities.
This program is possible thanks to our community partners and sponsors: Khalsa Aid Ottawa, Hydro Ottawa, Ottawa Community Housing, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC), HEIN, EnviroCentre, Bridgehead, Moxies, RBC, Giant Tiger, Régimbal, the Coalition of Community Houses, Caring & Sharing Exchange, REMAX- Good Story, TEKsystems, Enterprise, North & Navy and Cantina Gia, Taggart Realty Management, Whole Foods, Gabriel Pizza, Youth in Policing Initative (YIPI) and Pomerleau.
Committed to the 33,000 tenants living in Ottawa Community Housing (OCH), the Ottawa Community Housing Foundation is a registered charity that helps tenants achieve personal success through education, employment, and community engagement projects. Since its inception in 2012, the OCH Foundation has been raising funds to provide free programs and services, responding to new and emerging needs of tenants living in OCH communities. To learn more, visit www.ochfoundation.ca.
Ottawa Community Housing offers approximately 15,500 homes to about 33,000 tenants, including seniors, families, individuals, and people with disabilities. These homes are located in various communities throughout the City of Ottawa and house a diverse population with different languages, cultures, and ethnicities. OCH is Ottawa’s primary community housing provider, managing two-thirds of the city’s housing portfolio and ranking as the second largest in Ontario.
Pranav Kohli (he/him), OCH Foundation, pranav.kohli@ochfoundation.ca, 613-697-0824
Annie Pemachuk (she/her), OCH Foundation, annie.premachuk@ochfoundation.ca, 613-797-0698
39 Auriga Drive, Ottawa (ON) K2E 7Y8
Phone(613) 618-9353
Charitable Registration # 816590483RR0001
OCH Foundation’s work in Ottawa takes place on the traditional unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe nation. As uninvited guests on this land, we acknowledge the leadership of Indigenous people from time immemorial.
COPYRIGHT 2023 OCH FOUNDATION – PRIVACY
