On Monday, Dec. 4, a small group of dedicated individuals met outside City Hall to celebrate the success of a 2017 venture to raise funds for our local food bank.
Those present included Deb McIntosh for the food bank, Faith Sonntag, Hope Kelly and Darleen MacMain, representing the We Can: Fresh Produce family venture and Cari Bell representing Scotia Bank for their matching funds.
The We Can: Fresh produce group, with matching funds from Scotia Bank, raised $4,000 for the food bank this year. The We Can: Fresh Produce project originated with Castlegar resident Faith Sonntag, who sought to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to the Castlegar residents accessing our local food bank. She started fundraising with a penny drive and together with family and Scotiabank employees, prepared and sold breakfasts at Robson Hall each month.
These individuals donated their time and efforts due to the impact that it will have on our residents. B.C. residents will be among those hardest hits by rising food costs according to the Canada’s Food Price Report out of Dalhousie University. That report states that the falling Canadian dollar will likely put increasing pressure on food costs. Due to lower incomes, the most vulnerable residents will experience the greatest stress and We Can strives to support this segment of the Castlegar and area population. This donation will serve to support and strengthen the network of care already in place here.
We Can invite community members to join in the fun, to support the food bank, both now at Christmas time, and with new family and community projects, through 2018.