After an unprecedented

An appeal from the heart

After an unprecedented 2020, Sharon Buckley has agreed to continue in the role of President of Appeals for the IGBF in 2021. She explains the impact of the pandemic on the Fund last year and why the coming year could be “even tougher” for the charity.

EARLY in 2020, Sharon Buckley, Commercial Director with Musgrave, was looking forward to her year as President of Appeals for the Irish Grocery Benevolent Fund, with a host of events lined up to help raise money for this most worthy of causes, which helps those in need within our industry. These included the Grocers’ Fun Run, the TWIG Networking Luncheon, the IGBF Sporting Legends Lunch and the renowned IGBF Grocers’ Christmas Lunch in early December, which traditionally kicks off the festive season. The advent of Covid-19 changed all that, however, as in-person and social events were cancelled to comply with public health regulations. “2020 began with the Cork Ball and Limerick Ball at the start of the year, but then things changed rapidly after that,” Sharon sighs. While the IGBF was able to host some golf events during the summer of 2020 as restrictions eased, most of the events pivoted into the virtual world, including the TWIG event in December, the Sports Lunch and the Fun Run. “The committees did some amazing work to run those events virtually and keep momentum behind them,” Sharon explains, while revealing that the Fund still enjoyed tremendous support: “Companies were so generous in supporting the President’s Appeal and making financial contributions for events that had been cancelled.”

Retail goes the extra mile

The Commercial Director believes that as an industry, retail grocery should be proud of its performance throughout 2020 in the face of unprecedented challenges. “The industry has come together through the crises of Covid and Brexit and should be proud of its response,” she states. “People have worked closely together and supported each other, from a business perspective, and that sentiment is there on a human level as well.” “Early on in the pandemic, we saw panic-buying in stores, but we gave consumers confidence that the supply chain was robust; as an industry, we did a huge amount of work in supporting communities and continue to do so. “Our own business in SuperValu and Centra has a strong community focus and that’s the case for other groups too. Everybody made a significant effort to ensure communities were well-served, whether that be shopping safely in-store, offering click-and-collect or delivering goods to their homes. Demand for online shopping grew hugely during the last year and the sector really stepped up.” She believes that the grocery industry has always proved agile and adaptable in times of crisis “from Foot & Mouth to the Beast from the East. With Covid-19, our industry was quick to respond and adapt, and that gave consumers confidence that shops were safe and they could get what they needed. Their trust in the food industry and grocery retail has been enhanced during the crisis. From in-store colleagues, to drivers and throughout our distribution centres, everyone has gone the extra mile. It has been a long year, but people have demonstrated exceptional resilience. “I believe that when we look back on this time, we will take pride in how we responded to one of the biggest challenges our industry has ever faced.”

A challenging year for charities

2020 disrupted business on a scale previously unknown to many of us, with entire industries effectively closed down for months, including hospitality and foodservice. It was also a difficult time for charities. “Within the charity sector, many events and fund-raising activities were cancelled,” Sharon notes. “For the IGBF, we

“I believe that when we look back on this time, we will take pride in how we responded to one of the biggest challenges our industry has ever faced. ”

Sharon Buckley, IGBF President of Appeals, with IGBF Chairperson, Leonard Hegarty, at the IGBF Southern Region Ball in January 2020.

were able to hold a number of events early in the year and during the summer when restrictions eased somewhat; additionally, our committees were hugely creative in delivering events virtually. “Unfortunately, a number of our larger events, including the original TWIG event in May and the Grocers’ Lunch in December, didn’t take place; however, companies and businesses who ordinarily support these events, in many cases donated the equivalent amount to the Fund and we’re hugely appreciative of that support.” She credits the IGBF Executive Committee for “managing the Fund with prudence over the years, so we survived 2020, though the year ahead is possibly even tougher,” she warns. “2021 will be challenging. We support almost 200 families around the country, and we have to maintain that support. We’re also likely to see increased demand for the Fund as time goes by. “We know we’re not going to be able to hold events in the short term,” Sharon admits. “We have the Virtual Fun Run on St Patrick’s Day, which is enjoying a lot of support. We hope that golf outings can be run at some stage, and potentially the Grocers’ Lunch in December, dependent on public health guidelines. The IGBF are being agile and fleet-of-foot to ensure that if we can run events inperson, we will do so.”

Esteem and respect

The question has arisen in the past over whether those attending IGBF events are fully aware of the important work their attendance is supporting, but the fact that so many companies and businesses from across the FMCG sector continued to support the IGBF throughout the pandemic reflects the esteem in which the Fund is held. “The IGBF programme, in a normal year, is a nice balance of fund-raising for a very worthy cause and enjoying the social aspect of events,” Sharon explains. “It is unique in that regard and is an important part of the networking calendar for people in the industry. “These events are brilliantly organised and run really smoothly, thanks to the work of the people and committees behind the scenes. There are many businesses whose colleagues have invested a lot of time and energy into the IGBF over the years; they understand what the charity is about, and recognise the commitment and level of effort that our volunteers put in every year.” As ever, there is a balance between communicating how important the Fund is, while respecting the privacy of those who receive support. “There is a subcommittee that manages the distribution of funds; they are very good at their job and extremely discreet,” Sharon says. “As President of Appeals, I don’t know the beneficiaries. We treat every case in the strictest confidence; the industry knows and trusts that the Fund is helping those most in need within our sector.”

Continuing as President of Appeals

Normally, the President of Appeals takes the role for a calendar year before passing the baton on. With 2020 disrupting our way of life and business on a scale previously unknown to many of us, the committee asked Sharon to continue in the role for another 12 months, something she was happy to do. “I took on the role and was committed to support as many activities as possible,” she reflects. “I attended a number of events and was looking forward to what lay ahead but as it transpired, there were limited opportunities. So I felt privileged to be asked to continue in the role, and am really excited about the potential for 2021. “As President of Appeals, I’d like to thank each and every business for their support; I will once again be asking them to be as generous and responsive as they always are, before hopefully we get back to normal in 2022.”