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The Holiday Train is on track to stop in Castlegar

The Holiday Train will arrive in Castlegar on Monday, Dec. 14 at 3:30 p.m. to support the Castlegar Community Harvest Food Bank.
Canadian Pacific Holiday Train-Ready to rock the rails
The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train.

The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train will arrive in Castlegar on Monday, Dec. 14 at 3:30 p.m. to support the Castlegar Community Harvest Food Bank.

The Holiday Train will stop outside the Heritage Society CP Station Museum and at 3:45 p.m. the performance will commence.

“This magnificent train comes in that’s all lit,” explains Deb McIntosh from the food bank. “They pull into the yard at the back at the museum there and drop down the stage and the music starts, and it it’s short, but it’s action packed.”

This year the performers will be Jim Cuddy, who was given the Order of Canada in November, and his son Devin, as well as Kelly Prescott, Holiday Train veteran and award-winning country singer.

Santa will also be on the scene, walking through the crowd and handing out candy for the little ones.

Most important, there will be two tents: one to collect monetary donations for the food bank and the other to collect donations of food, clothing and toys. There will also be kindness meters set out.

“Donations are starting to come in now and it’s looking not so bad, but the money that we bring right now has to run us from January through to June/July,” says McIntosh. “So we need like $60,000 just to know that we’re solvent for a little bit, and that’s just to buy groceries and pay rent at the shelter.”

In addition to non-perishable food the food bank also needs things like toothpaste, dish soap and toilet paper. People can also donate things like socks, mitts and toques.

“We do ask that socks and anything like that are new,” said McIntosh. “We will take gently used gloves and hats, but this is Christmas, it is going in their hamper so we do only accept new toys and we’ll only put new items into their hampers.”

Toys are given to children from age zero to 18.

“Get a gift certificate for Walmart, for Canadian Tire, for JJ’s, something like that if you wanna buy for a teenager,” said McIntosh.

The museum will also be raising funds that afternoon by selling hot dogs and hot chocolate.