Fill the Shelves Food Drive raises $3,400
July 14, 2020, 9:04 am
Victor van der Merwe, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Fill the Shelves food drive hosted by the Borderland Co-op has raised $3,400 in gift card purchases in addition to food donations.
The three stores that participated were Whitewood Grocery that raised $340 (with Borderland matching it), Rocanville Grocery that raised $245 (with Borderland matching it), and Moosomin Grocery that raised an $780 (with Borderland matching $750). Add to those numbers the $700 donation made by MacLeod School Community Council and the area raised $3,400 for food banks in Moosomin, Rocanville, and Whitewood.
The gift cards will be of great help to the local Food share.
“They are wonderful. We can use them to purchase the food and we can distribute them to our clients or buy things we normally can’t get,” says Lori Shepherd of the Moosomin Food Share.
Actual food donations have not been as robust this year, due to the pandemic, however the Food share has seen plenty of financial support.
“We have not been taking the food items as such. People have been donating the cash and we have been purchasing the food on their behalf,” says Shepherd.
The cash and gift card donations have made it easier to get items that don’t usually show up in food donation bins, like meat products and other extras.
In these times a few more people have been relying on the local food share.
“It fluctuates from month to month, but we would like to reach out more to people that need us,” says Shepherd.
MacLeod School’s donation came after a decision by the SCC. “Every year in June we have a fun day for the students, “Fun in the Sun” it’s like the last spirit day. We pay for swimming, have a barbecue for the students and their families, games, gifts etc,” explains Leona Gerard who serves as Board Chair for the School Community Council.
When the day was cancelled the funds had already been raised.
“Every year we set aside $600-700 for this day. Usually we charge so much a plate to raise money.
Proceeds are either kept to help fund us or given to a charity in our community. This year, not being able to raise money during Fun in the Sun, we still wanted to be able to some how help the community, so we decide to give the $700 we had set aside for fun in the sun to the food bank,” says Gerard.
The SCC’s decision could not have happened at a better time since that was the week the Borderland Co-op posted a “donation match” fund raiser ad.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better chance to help more families by partnering up with them and having them match our donations, “ says Gerard.
In these uncertain times, food donations have not been as strong as in pervious years but financial donations have been strong and that helps the Food banks order the food they need.
“It’s unbelievable, the support in town from individuals and organizations. It is really heart warming,” says Shepherd.