Giving Back in Big Ways

How Chapman’s is making a positive difference in the local community and beyond

Chapman’s is doing a lot more than making frozen treats in Markdale, Ont. The company has a big focus on not only giving back to the community, but also helping to build and sustain it.

In 2000, Chapman’s contributed $1 million towards a new state-of-the-art hospital in Markdale – a donation that grew with interest to close to $2 million before construction finally commenced in 2021.

plans to replace Beavercrest with a brand-new building are in the works, while the original school remains open.

Another major initiative was donating $1 million towards the construction of new palliative care facility in nearby Owen Sound, now called Chapman House.

“That was the fastest million dollars we have ever given out in our lives,” says Ashley. “We knew what hospice was, but until we sat down in our boardroom with palliative care doctors who explained the struggles they have with only partial funding from the government and having to fundraise, while trying to do right by people who are in the last moments of their life, it was very emotional.”

Beyond long-term projects, Chapman’s is also known to respond to needs as they arise, both at home and abroad. In 2020, the company bought two medical-grade deep freezers capable of storing one brand of COVID-19 vaccines. One freezer was used by the local Grey County health unit and the other freezer was shipped to the health unit in Windsor, Ont.

“We needed a new hospital and a committee was started, but nobody would reach into their pocket,” Penny Chapman, president of Chapman’s. “You need one person to get on board and start the ball rolling.”

That person was Penny’s husband, David, who had the idea to step up with a $1 million donation. “We don’t take a million bucks lightly – that is one million hard-earned dollars,” says Penny. “But if you can do something good for your community, you’d better do it.”

The family also got the ball rolling on saving Markdale’s only school – Beavercrest elementary – from closing in 2017. As Markdale’s biggest employer, Chapman’s knew keeping the school open was essential to both Chapman’s success and the municipality’s survival.

“Everybody could see the growth of the community, and for us, 40 or 50 of our employees had children going to that school,” says Ashley Chapman, chief operating officer. “The thought that we might lose them because they’d have to move out of Markdale is just unbelievable to us.”

Chapman’s joined negotiations with the school board and local government, and committed to donating $2 million to save the school. Thanks in large part to community support,

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Chapman’s donated $50,000 toward the Ukraine Humanitarian Relief Fund through the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, and encouraged others to join the effort through social media. Chapman’s also joined other companies in donating medical supplies – essentially emergency triage kits – to Ukraine. “My wife Lesya is originally from Ukraine and her entire extended family is in Kyiv and the surrounding area,” says Ashley. “So, when the war broke out, it was very personal to us.”

With the kits, he adds, “The idea was hopefully they would save lives. We know they got there – they were distributed in Eastern Ukraine – and that’s all we know. But we hope they made a difference.”