Tim Hortons Supports Welland Food Drive

http://www.niagarathisweek.com/community/article/898533--welland-food-drive-starts
Right now someone in your community is starving. It could be your neighbour. It could be the person sitting next to you at the doctor’s office. It might even be a close friend.

With plant closures and lay-offs in Welland the number of people struggling to put food on their tables has risen, says Gina Couldery, food security co-ordinator at the Hope Centre. She says hunger is something no Canadian should have to face.

“In this rich country no one should go hungry, but we see new faces coming into the food bank every day,” she says. “There has been an increase for need.”

Couldery says the Hope Centre’s food bank is almost empty and they have been “anxiously waiting for the food drive to restock their shelves.”

The 19th annual Welland food drive is November 6th. Welland residents are asked to place non-perishable food donations on their steps by 10am for volunteers to collect. All the food is dropped off at Auberge Richelieu and is divided between the Hope Centre, The Salvation Army and the Open Arms Mission.

It is a volunteer based event and there is support not only from the community, but local businesses.

John Craig, owner of three Welland Tim Hortons restaurants, has been supporting the food drive “right from day one.”

“I’m a firm believer in the food drive,” he says. “As a business you support your community because the community supports you.”

He says with “so many people out of work” the food drive is necessary.

“Things cost so much more today just to keep a family going. Everyone needs to help out a little bit.”

Monique Finley, food drive co-ordinator, says she doesn’t know what the food drive committee would do without the support of Tim Hortons.

“Tim Hortons owners in the Welland area are major supporters of not only the food drive but of the community in general,” she says. “We have counted on their support for 20 years however their generosity has hit new heights over the past two years.”

The November food drive is the main food collection event for the entire year. The food collected helps sustain all three food banks in Welland until about April. Most needed items are: canned meats, fruits and vegetables, school snacks, juices, pasta and rice. For more information call (905) 714-9151
or visit http://www.wellandfooddrive.com/
Published in Niagara This Week(Welland Edition)

November 4, 2010

Blitzing Welland with food drive reminders

Saturday morning volunteers will be combing the city picking up donations for the 19th annual Welland food drive, and organizers running the event want to make sure no one forgets about it.

“There is a need to continue creating awareness of the food drive,” says food drive committee member, Crystal Kapteyn. “Sometimes people are so busy in their lives that they don’t realize that it is food drive time.”

Kapteyn and about 12 volunteers blitzed the city with 150 food drive reminder signs Monday night, and she hopes having “a visual reminder” will increase food donations.

“It is imperative to the city that we have the food drive,” she says. “We need food donations or else the food banks would not be able to support the amount of people that need help.”

She says the food drive is a success each year because of the “kindness of the people within our community who give their time to help.”

Volunteers run the entire food drive event from beginning to end.

“The food drive wouldn’t even be a possibility without volunteers,” Kapteyn says. “The entire food drive is volunteer based. From the committee to the hundreds of people it takes on drive day to make this thing happen.”

Mona Lessard, of Welland, was one of the volunteers helping Kapteyn put up the food drive signs.
She brought her entire family out to help because she wants her children to realize how important it is to help the community.

“Our family is quite fortunate,” she says. “I want my kids to know that it is good to help others in need.”

She hopes that it will become a family tradition and they “can make thinking of others a part of their every day life.”

Kapteyn says volunteers are still needed to help sort food on drive day at Auberge Richelieu. Interested people can call (905) 714-9151 or visit www.wellandfooddrive.com.
Published in Welland Tribune -November 4, 2010

Local vendor show Helps Welland's food banks

Sparrow Lake Golf Club hosted a Fall Vendor and Spa Show on Sunday, October 24, 2010. Organizer Nancy Trozzi asked attendees to bring non-perishable food donations in lieu of a cash admission. The food was divided between Welland’s main three food banks: The Hope Centre, Open Arms Mission, and the Salvation Army.
L-R: food drive committee members Burgandy Ivankovich and Jennifer Trozzi; show organizers Nancy Trozzi and Louise Grejszak.

Published in Welland Tribune- October 2010

Food Drive Helping Children

By this time of year most families have settled into a daily routine for the new school year. The children are woken up, their lunches are made and they are sent off to school with full bellies to start the day right.

Most children.

But for many parents in Welland, it is difficult to provide their children with an adequate breakfast or even supply them with snacks for school lunches.

“Over 1300 children use the food bank,” say Gina Couldery, food security co-ordinator at the Hope Centre.

The Hope Centre, The Salvation Army and the Open Arms Mission are Welland’s three main food banks, and they all have seen an increase in need this year.

“The numbers are definitely higher for our food bank and for our food supply,” says Couldery. “It’s extremely high for children as well.”

The 19th annual Welland Food Drive is November 6th, and Couldery says “the Hope Centre is anxiously waiting and counting the days.”

The food banks rely on the donations of the community during this one day event to stock their shelves and hopefully keep the shelves full until about April.

“We would be in dire straits without the food drive,” says Tim Albrecht, Open Arms Mission pastoral care advisor. “We’d have to turn people away. We can only give out what we receive.”

Monique Finley, food drive co-ordinator, says the community is very generous when it comes to donating and helping their neighbours, but hopes more people will remember to participate this year.

“Although the food drive has been held the first Saturday in November for nearly two decades, the biggest challenge is informing and then reminding the public to put their food out on their doorstep on November 6th, after 10:00 a.m,” she says.

Finley says sometimes people become busy and although “they intend on giving to the drive….that first Saturday in November comes and goes.”

Couldery says the community’s involvement with the food drive shows how “very supportive Welland is” and believes sometimes “it is necessary to give a little reminder of how greatly we need donations.”

She hopes people will remember that they can make a difference in a child’s life by donating items for breakfasts and school snacks. The food banks can use items such as cereals, juices and packaged school items.

“It’s wonderful to be able to provide a child with a nice lunch for school,” she says. “And it’s so important for them to start the day feeling full with a good breakfast.”

Albrecht says children (up to age 18) represent “35% of the individuals served over the past year.”

He says the food drive will make a “big difference” in being able to support Welland’s people in need.

“There’s something that happens in our community as we come together and work together on a big project like this.”

People are asked to leave donations on their door step by 10am on November 6th. Volunteers will be collecting from each home and bringing the food back to Auberge Richelieu to be divided between the three main food banks.

If you wish to volunteer or find out more information please go to www.wellandfooddrive.com or call (905) 714-9151

Published by Welland Tribune- October 19, 2010

Food Drive Article

http://www.wellandtribune.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2142266