ottawa Residents Donate Generously to 41st Annual Holiday Food Drive
Ottawa residents demonstrated remarkable support by contributing to the 41st OC Transpo / Loblaw Annual Holiday Food Drive held on Saturday, December 13. This event is the largest annual, single-day grocery store food drive in Ottawa and has supported the Ottawa Food Bank since its inception in 1984. The drive collected almost 88,000 pounds of food and more than $26,500 for the Ottawa Food bank and its network of 71 member agencies, and also four other Ottawa region food banks. This yearS total exceeds twice the weight of a 40-foot bus!
OC Transpo buses and volunteers were stationed at various Loblaws,Real Canadian Superstore,Your Autonomous Grocer,and No frills locations throughout Ottawa,encouraging residents to donate. Residents contributed food items and monetary donations at participating stores last Saturday. All collected food was delivered directly to the Ottawa Food Bank, the Stittsville Food Bank, the Richmond Food Bank, the Barrhaven Food Cupboard, and the Kanata Food Cupboard.
Quotes
“Visiting the stores and seeing so many Ottawa residents stepping up to donate food and support families in need was truly moving. It reminded me just how caring and generous this city is.A heartfelt thank you to every volunteer, to OC Transpo, and our partners at Loblaw and the Ottawa Food Bank. Together, you’re helping neighbours across Ottawa enjoy a brighter holiday season.”
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, City of Ottawa
“Local food banks are experiencing the highest demand in their history, with over one in four households in Ottawa struggling to afford enough to eat. from the very beginning, OC Transpo and Loblaw have played a vital role through their annual food drive. During this season of giving, it’s wonderful to see City of Ottawa staff and community members come together to make a meaningful difference for those in need.”
Councillor Glen Gower, chair, Transit Commission
“the OC Transpo/Loblaw Holiday Food Drive is a yearly tradition that our store colleagues look forward to and are excited to support. As food retailers, with food insecurity continuing to rise, it is indeed really critically important for us to support our community in the most meaningful way possible, to help put food on the table for those in need. A lot of work goes into this event and we want to thank our partners at the ottawa Food Bank, OC Transpo, colleagues in our stores, and most importantly, the volunteers that gave up their day and our customers and community that always step up when our city needs it the most.”
Jeff Brierley, Store Manager, Brierley’s Independent Grocer
Worth a look