4 days ago
Parker: Calgary-based Briden Solutions becomes Canadian leader in emergency prepackaged food
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Former Calgary commercial realtor Peter Thorpe, who decided to semi-retire on Vancouver Island a few years ago, still maintains many relationships here and I'm fortunate to be one of them — and he has introduced me to a Calgary company that is helping him on his annual long walk for charity.
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I was somewhat responsible for the relationship he has with Opportunity International Canada, a charity that equips people with microloans in developing countries. Thorpe uses his love of walking to raise funds by Walking People Out of Poverty.
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This year, accompanied by Opportunity International CEO Dan Murray, he will complete another 300 kilometres of his long walk from Mexico to Canada.
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The Calgary company, Briden Solutions, is providing a grateful Thorpe with 15 prepackaged meals that will satisfy his appetite along the way.
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Dwight and Kristen Bullock were both farm kids, growing up used to being isolated, carrying water and accustomed to the benefits of a root cellar. Moving into city life and seeing people relying on a trip to the grocery store on the way home from work was a shock to their self-reliant mentality.
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Not wanting to fall into the same routine, they researched the quality, goodness, calories and shelf life of what was offered, and began a way of life that others soon wanted to learn about.
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People began keeping emergency food in cupboards and cars, and the Bullocks became pioneers of the survival and emergency industry, founding Briden Solutions in 2009. Working out of their basement, they were primarily involved in emergency preparedness and assisting those involved in helping others after natural disasters. Briden has since helped people through the Fort McMurray fire of 2016, sent staff as well as survival items to High River after the devastating flood of 2013, and been of invaluable help to first responders and families in natural and man-made situations across Western Canada.
