Food banks in the region are slated to receive a flood of food donations in the wake of the CAN-nection 2012 campaign.
The six-week campaign, sponsored by Fairway Market, Dodd's Furniture, Air Canada, Glacier Media Group and the Nanaimo Airport, wrapped up Jan. 7. Six hundred pounds of food was collected by donations made at Fairway, Dodd's and the Nanaimo Airport. An additional 2,769 cans of food, used to build a “can train” for the airport's Whistle Stop Challenge, will be divvied up and sent out to food banks as well.
According to a press release issued by the Nanaimo Airport, the Ladysmith Resources Centre Association (LRCA) Food Bank will receive a share of the food collected proportional to the amount of food donated by Ladysmith residents. Ladysmith's share of the bounty weighs in at 170 pounds of donated food and an additional 772 cans.
The remaining food collected by the campaign will be distributed to food banks in Nanaimo, Parksville, Duncan and Port Alberni.
Mike Hooper, president and CEO of the Nanaimo Airport, said he's “pleased with the results of this first-year campaign” and he looks forward to expanding the campaign in future years.
Jacquie Stewart, co-ordinator for the LRCA Food Bank, said they picked up the CAN-nection campaign's donation last Wednesday. She said the donation amounted to approximately two weeks' worth of food.
“It was mostly tinned chili and tinned vegetables,” Stewart said, “with some odds and sods of soups and maybe some macaroni and cheese and pasta. Everything was great. Everything was what we needed.”
Stewart said a recent donation of $250 from Thrifty Foods has helped cover the cost of their weekly purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables, but as is always the case, they're still in need of tinned meats and stews.
The LRCA Food Bank is located at 630 Second Ave. and distributes food hampers to those in need Tuesday mornings from 9 a.m. until noon.