Great Holiday Food Drive Friday
They often keep you company on your daily commutes or help get you through the day at work, but on Friday the staff and on-air personalities of local Bell Media radio stations will be doing more than just reading the news and sharing the latest music.
The annual Great Holiday
Food Drive returns to downtown St. Catharines this week. Hosted by 610 CKTB, 105.7 EZ Rock and 97.7 HTZ FM, the event will have organizers collecting non-perishable food items and money that will support Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold.
“Community Care is grateful once again to be able to partner with Bell Media to create some special holiday magic for those who struggle at this time of year,” said executive director Betty-Lou Souter, calling the drive its biggest fundraiser of the year.
“Its success determines our ability to meet the rising need in our community. A need that continues to be great, but a need that is matched by the warmth and the concern of a very caring community.”
All three radio stations will go live-to-air from Market Square beginning at 5:30 a.m. The fundraiser continues all day as organizers will be accepting donations throughout the day before wrapping up at 6 p.m.
This year the event has expanded to include a hot lunch of butternut squash soup, turkey dinner on a bun and mulled apple cider provided by Niagara College. It will be served 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is offered by donation.
Tom McConnell will be honouring Nick McShane, a loyal listener who each year donated a case of peanut butter. McShane died in spring 2017. McConnell is asking residents to donate peanut butter, Community Care’s most requested food item, in McShane’s memory.
After making their debut last year, the reindeer games, for which teams of downtown businesses compete in a scavenger hunt, will return.