Spring food drive kicks off

Times Reporter

 

It’s that time of year again: No Frills has kicked off its 2012 Extra Helping Spring National Food Drive. The food drive runs in-store from April 20 to May 5, and residents are encouraged to help re-stock the shelves of the Wheatland Food Bank. 

 “While most people think about the joys of spring, it’s a difficult time for us. Our food supplies are getting dangerously low but the need is still incredibly high,” says Kathleen Mooney-Stuhec, executive director, Alberta Food Bank Network Association, in a press release. 

“More and more people rely on food banks as they struggle to feed their families but with the help of programs like the Loblaw 2012 Extra Helping™ Spring National Food Drive, we will be able to stock our shelves year-round, and continue to serve families across Alberta that otherwise would go hungry.” 

“It kind of gets everybody involved, the staff gets engaged with it and it goes to show there are a lot of caring people in the community,” said Tina Shipley, owner of Tina’s No Frills in Strathmore.

Non-perishable items such as peanut butter, rice, pasta, pasta sauce, canned fruits and vegetables are just some of the everyday staples the food bank looks for. Formula and baby foods are also items that are needed and appreciated. 

 There is a bin set up in-store to collect the food items, and anyone wishing to make a cash donation may do so with one of the cashiers. 

“The cash donations itself go a long way because then they can come back and pick up exactly what they need, healthy alternatives, kind of the same type of items that we would buy for our own selves,” said Shipley.

“I like it because everything that we raise at the store, 85 per cent stays right here and we only send 15 per cent and it stays in the province, so I think that’s fantastic.”

Even just a $2 donation may not seem like a lot to the person donating, but it can add up quickly. Shipley said she sees approximately 7,000 to 8,000 people through her store weekly and knows the potential is there to do something big for the food bank and the community.