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Michelle Assoumbang, Associate Owner and pharmacist at Shoppers Drug Mart in Estevan, says the community’s support during their first year of business inspired the store to give back. “We’re still in our first year of business, and we’re really thankful for the community that has come out and really embraced us as a new business in the community, and we just thought it was time for us to give back and just be thankful for what we’ve been given,” she explained.
One of the ways they chose to give back was through their Pad It Forward program, which ran over the summer and encouraged donations of feminine hygiene products. Those items were delivered to Envision Counselling in Estevan. The store also organized a separate donation of about $1,200 in products for the Family Resource Centre, including diapers, wipes, formula, and baby food. Assoumbang said it was “just a really great donation that the staff and I put together here for them.”
Shoppers Drug Mart also works at a national level through the Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health, which focuses on reducing health inequities faced by women. In 2024, the foundation donated over $12.8 million, supporting more than 380 partner organizations and impacting over one million women across Canada. Much of that support stays within communities, with grants and initiatives like Giving Shelter directed to local groups, including Envision Counselling.
Looking ahead, Assoumbang said flu shots and COVID vaccines will be available beginning in October. She recommends them for people over 65, those at higher risk, and added that “to be honest, everyone should really be getting a flu shot this year.”