Giving back to the community

Posted on: Staff Writer

Shannon LeClair
Times Reporter
 
The beginning of December marked the launch of a campaign by Byron Smith Ford to collect food for those who may be going without this winter. It is kind of a dual project they are working on: they are gathering donations for both the Wheatland foodbank and for the Christmas Hamper Society.
“It is never a good feeling to be hungry,” said Josh Hynes, General Sales Manager at Byron Smith Ford. “Especially during the holiday season, we want to make sure we support our local charities like the Wheatland County Foodbank, so they can continue to provide much-needed services to those less fortunate.”
Byron Smith Ford has partnered with the Wheatland County Foodbank and are hosting a food and toy drive for the month of December. 
“It’s important not to lose sight of the fact that people don’t eat toys and realistically the food is probably important,” said Hynes. 
They are also looking at donations to help the foodbank with overhead costs. One way they are helping with that is, $50 from every vehicle sold for the month of December will be donated. 
“There is no magic behind it. We just want to strengthen our ties with the community a little bit and put it a little bit more on the forefront because obviously we can be an outlet here,” said Hynes. 
The staff, Hynes included, are also adding a little elbow grease in their contribution to the organizations. 
 “I know I’ll be there (the foodbank) this week, helping out, doing what I can. It’s not always about money,” said Hynes.  
Donations have already started to pile up at the dealership, which is located at 1040 Westridge Road. For the entire month of December, staff at Byron Smith Ford would like to encourage Wheatland County and Strathmore residents to bring non-perishable food items and toys to the dealership. The dealership is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Monday to Thursday), 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Friday), and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Saturday). Visit http://www.byronsmithford.com/ for directions and contact information of the dealership.