FCC delivers for Regina Food Bank
If you were stuck behind a blue, green or red tractor pulling a trailer on city streets Thursday, you may have thought it an oddity.
Along with a couple of half-ton trucks, four tractors slowly made their way to and from Regina schools and businesses, collecting food and cash donations for the Farm Credit Canada Drive Away Hunger tour stop in support of the Regina Food Bank.
Steve Compton, CEO of the Regina Food Bank, said the impact is massive.
“The amount of food just seems to grow a little bit every year, but it’s an incredible amount for us because it restocks our shelves into the winter months,” he said.
Based on the amount of food collected — nearly 400,000 meals’ worth — Compton believes the food bank is in a good position to support growing demand.
“Our numbers were holding pretty constant for quite a while, but now we’re seeing 40 to 50 new people a day lately, and we are watching that really carefully,” he said. “The numbers are going up, so this comes at a really important time.”
According to Vern Rourke, senior director of agribusiness and agri-food at FCC, the Drive Away Hunger tour is a way of giving back to communities across Canada.
He said this year’s tour stop in Regina was met with tremendous community participation.
“We’ve had more students and schools come on, and more partners come on, so there’s more involvement this year that last year,” Rourke said.
“People are more aware. They’re excited, and they care. This is their community.”
Rourke added that, in schools, the level of exuberance was especially apparent.
“We were at Henry Braun School, and they raised 1,330 pounds of food, and it stretched all the way down the hallway,” he said. “They came out with all the food — excited and proud.”
The national goal in 2015 is to collect three million pounds of food, but FCC believes that number will be surpassed.
Since the inception of the Drive Away Hunger program, FCC has provided more than 22 million meals.