Terra participant Katt Donaldson recently interviewed Braede Harris, owner of the LOVEPIZZA restaurants in Edmonton and St. Albert with her husband Gavin Fedorak, to chat about their second annual diaper drive for Terra and their commitment to giving back to the community.

Katt (left) and Braede during their interview.

Katt: Why did you and your husband decide to support Terra?

Braede: When we opened our first restaurant location, our son was only five months old and it was a crazy time. Balancing being new parents, launching a business and staying mentally and physically healthy was challenging but we did it. We had a lot of support along the way from my parents, as they lived in the city and were always willing to watch our son when we needed to be at work. I have a lot of respect for teen moms and dads. We are so impressed with the community that Terra has built for the young moms, dads and children to grow and flourish. It is an honour to be a small part of all the amazing programs that Terra provides to give these families the support and love that they may not be receiving elsewhere. So much of that starts with being able to provide your child with a clean diaper and comfort.

Katt: Giving back to the community is an important part of your business model. Why?

Braede: When Gavin and I were doing our business plan and talking about what we wanted our business to look like, giving back was a big part of it. We didn’t just want to be like any other pizza restaurant. We’ve built a community that supports our efforts like our diaper drive. We have loyal customers, catering clients and amazing suppliers who believe in our product and the love behind it.

LOVEPIZZA has donated a total of over 35,800 diapers to our families. We truly appreciate all that LOVEPIZZA and their community of supporters have done to help our young families.

Banner photo: Braede and Gavin in their store among all of the diapers they collected during their diaper drive for Terra.