Police, CFL star aiding food banks

This is the time of year when the message gets lost. When the weather is warm, the public’s attention drifts away from the needs of Niagara’s food banks.

But demand for the services of Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold, Project Share in Niagara Falls and The Hope Centre in Welland don’t fade.

After Christmas and the back-toschool food drives, the region’s food banks often have to coast through to the following winter.

“There is a gap there in terms of donations,” says Laura Byers, the fund development officer at Community Care. “But people still need help.”

Byers says some help is coming from a new initiative led by Ontario police services and the Pinball Clemons Foundation.

Lastweek,thefoundationlaunched it’s Just Give campaign to help Ontario food banks.

Ontario police departments, including Niagara Regional Police, will be working with local schools to collect donations of money and food for Niagara’s food banks.

Byers says there is a competition for schools called Cram a Cruiser. The school that collects the most money and the school that collects the most food by May 17 will be given tickets to attend a Toronto Argonauts preseason game in June.

“A staggering one in three people that access the food bank in Ontario are children,” says former CFL star Michael (Pinball) Clemons in a news release.

“We consistently reinforce education as the catalyst for success. However, when you can’t eat you can’t compete in the classroom or on the playing field.”

The Just Give campaign aims to raise the equivalent of 675,000 kilograms of food in May.

Byers said Air Canada donated $250,000 to Just Give, and the campaign is matching the donation dollar for dollar.

“Every dollars that is raised equals about two and half pounds of food,” Byers said. “So that really adds up.”

To get involved with the Just Give campaign go online to www.justgive. ca.