PICTON, January 31, 2025 – A Picton grocery store has again shown what partnership in action looks like by giving residents and visitors a chance to give to the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation’s (PECMHF) Back the Build campaign.

Metro Inc. has proudly announced a donation of $8,656.79 from the cash register round-up promotion held between August 22, 2024, and September 4, 2024. This gift brings the five-year total raised to $74,182.63.

“Metro embodies the spirit of generosity that defines our County,” said Shannon Coull, executive director of the PECMH Foundation. “This wonderful contribution to our new hospital campaign demonstrates this store’s dedication to our community. Thank you to Metro, Murray Lupenette, and his entire team for working incredibly hard to raise these funds for a fifth year.”

“Metro has been an enthusiastic host for this in-store fundraiser that engages residents and visitors to Prince Edward County,” said Murray Lupenette, store manager at Picton Metro. “As for money raised this summer, I credit the store employees and our generous and loyal customers. Together, they raised the money at the registers, and those contributions will stay with their community. We also want to thank the Picton Firefighters Association for volunteering their time to staff the barbecue again this year.”

“Thank you to Metro for their commitment to community building. This gift will help transform care for our family, friends, neighbours, and visitors to Prince Edward County,” said Nancy Parks, Back the Build campaign chairperson. “Metro’s leadership is another excellent example of the collaborative effort underway across Prince Edward County to help build our new hospital. We could not achieve this goal without support from the community and corporate partners like Metro.”

PECMHF’s Back the Build campaign is raising $30M to help build and equip a new hospital to serve residents and visitors in Prince Edward County. For more information and to lend your support, visit www.pecmhf.ca/back-the-build.

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Pictured at Picton Metro from left: Shannon Coull, executive director of the PECMH Foundation; Briar Boyce, senior development officer with the PECMH Foundation; Oscar Brugnera, Sr. Director Operations East Division at Metro Inc.;   Sally Cowan, Back the Build campaign volunteer; Nancy Parks, Back the Build campaign chairperson; Murray Lupenette, Picton Metro store manager; Chris Gillespie, district manager of Metro; Carman Kloet, bookkeeper for Metro and Trevor Smith, Picton Metro assistant store manager.

Debuting Murray’s video

Murray Lupenette lives and works in Prince Edward County. Many may know him from his managerial role at the Metro grocery store in Picton. He and his family have relied on Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital (PECMH) for medical care when they have needed it most.

Knowing you can count on the best possible care from our hospital’s Care Champions – close to home – is priceless.

Murray believes that our hospital is at the heart of our community, and we are proud to share his story of receiving lifesaving care not once but twice.

Here is Murray’s story - https://youtu.be/PrCxtsbvSQY