Cenovus staff raise more than $4 million and volunteer over 18,000 hours for communities in need during Season of Giving campaign

With individuals and families facing the financial stress of rising costs and the holiday season, our staff stepped up in a big way to help those who need it most. Our 2023 Cenovus Cares Season of Giving campaign raised an extraordinary $4.6 million and recorded almost 18,000 volunteer hours for charities and other non-profit organizations. 

During the campaign, all employee donations up to $25,000 were eligible for a 2:1 Cenovus match, tripling the impact of every dollar given, and employee volunteer hours received double the normal amount of donation grants, contributing to the total amount donated.

“The generosity of our staff is truly incredible,” says Rhona DelFrari Chief Sustainability Officer & Executive Vice-President, Stakeholder Engagement. “Our teams worked hard to make a difference for so many people at a time of year when extra support is particularly meaningful. I’m proud to work alongside these people every day, but I get an extra burst of pride when I see how many people donated, volunteered and contributed to communities in many other ways.”

From making school lunches, to sorting toy donations and more, our staff rolled up their sleeves and got to work throughout the campaign, supporting organizations whose reach spanned across the globe.

Teams across the company came up with creative ways to spread holiday goodwill. In Dublin, a team planted trees for the Ohio Wildlife Center. Staff from our Superior Refinery supported a community event providing hot chocolate and cheer.

“Research from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reveals that over half a million Americans experienced homelessness at least one night in 2022 and more than 44 million were food insecure. It is heartbreaking to think that so many people didn’t have housing or access to an adequate supply of nutritious, affordable food,” says Joey Cox, senior manager at the Lima Refinery. “This year, the Project Management and Project Supply Chain Management teams decided to serve meals to clients of the Lima Rescue Mission.”

Our StrongerTogether with Women@Cenovus employee network also pitched in, coordinating an essential items drive at multiple locations across the company. The network’s members were able to package over 100 bags of items for women in need in less than 15 minutes in Calgary, and raise $18,000 across the organization for women’s shelters in Calgary, Rainbow Lake, Lloydminster and Superior.