Challenged to increase contributions to help meet demand

WELLINGTON – Sept. 25, 2019 – Residents of the Evangeline and surrounding areas will have the opportunity, from Oct. 15-24, to help their less fortunate neighbours by contributing non-perishable food items 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 because the need is extremely pressing as the winter and Christmas season are fast approaching.

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 in collaboration with Claudine Blaquière’s Geopolitical high school class. The class that gathers the greatest volume of food will win a $100 prize. Families with school-aged children can therefore make their contributions through the school.

Those who use the O’Leary and Tyne Valley branches of the credit union are welcomed to drop off their food contributions to their branch.

According to the managers of the food banks, the need for food contributions is being felt more and more each year. Hard economic and social conditions mean 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.

Wanting to help turn this situation around, several partners from the co-operative and economic development sectors have jointly decided to organize this drive again this year on the occasion of Co-op and Small Business Weeks.

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CUTLINE: Angèle Arsenault from Wellington Co-op and Diane McInnis from Evangeline-Central Credit Union invite everyone to contribute non-perishable food items to a local food drive for nearby foodbanks Oct. 15-24.

For more information:
Angèle Arsenault
Organizing Committee member
(902) 854-2951
angelearsenault@hotmail.com