Challenged to increase contributions to 1,000 lbs.

WELLINGTON – Sept. 26, 2018 – Residents of the Evangeline and surrounding areas will have the opportunity, from Oct. 9-18, to help their less fortunate neighbours by contributing non-perishable foods to a community food drive for the Summerside Salvation Army Food Bank and the Tyne Valley Caring Cupboard.

This year, organizers of the drive are strongly encouraging people to increase the volume of food donations to the cause. A few years back, the community gave 1,500 pounds of food to the. These past few years, the volume of donations has dropped considerably.

The community is therefore being challenged to contribute more than 1,000 pounds to this year’s drive, organized once again on the occasion of Co-op and Small Business Week.

People from the community are invited to drop off non-perishable foods to Wellington Co-op or to Evangeline-Central Credit Union during their regular hours of operation. Each person who gives a food donation will get a ballot towards a draw for a $100 gift card from the Wellington Co-op.

A food collection contest is also being organized at Evangeline School; the class gathering the greatest volume of food will win a $100 prize. Families with school-aged children can therefore make their contributions through the school.

A community brunch and benefit family Mega-Bingo are also being organized for the food bank, Sunday, Oct. 14, at the Evangeline School cafeteria in Abram-Village, starting at 11 a.m. with the meal. At this event, only monetary donations will be accepted.

According to the managers of the food banks, the need for food contributions is being felt more and more each year, especially as the fall and winter months approach. Hard economic and social condition means that a growing number of Islanders simply don’t make enough money to meet their family’s basic needs; some are forced to choose between heating their home or eating. They therefore have no other choice but to turn to social assistance agencies.

The Summerside food bank, by itself, helps out about 100 families per week.

Wanting to help turn this situation around, several partners from the co-operative sector in the Evangeline area have jointly decided to organize this drive again this year.

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CUTLINE: The annual food drive for the Summerside and Tyne Valley food banks will take place this year Oct. 9-18 in the Evangeline and surrounding regions. Officially launching the drive are, left, Angèle Arsenault, manager of the Wellington Co-op, and Angèle Moore, manager of the Wellington branch of the Évangéline-Central Credit Union.

For more information:
Angèle Arsenault
Organizing Committee member
(902) 854-2951