Wayne Dunn at the kickoff/ via Wayne Dunn
The 22nd Business Cares Food Drive has begun.
Local businesses in the community got the ball rolling at RBC place this Wednesday. The Drive is set to run until December 22nd, right in time for the holidays.
Wayne Dunn is the chair for the Drive and the co-founder, along with Mayor Ed Holder. He said the start this year was great, despite such a rocky time we’re in.
“It was our 22nd start to the annual Business Cares and quite successful. Lots of groups were there and we have a big three weeks ahead of us. We’re reaching out to the community and businesses to sign up through our website to come get involved.”
Last year saw the biggest amount of donations raised– over 597,000lbs.
“And that is a true community effort.” Dunn says. “That’s what we need. The usage of the Food Bank is up considerably over last year. And hence we have a challenge on our hands.”
This November was the 2nd busiest month in the Food Bank’s history– and that isn’t unusual. Food Banks Ontario wide have seen a 10% increase over the course of the year—largely spurned by the pandemic.
They’re hosting a number of different drives this year to keep up with busy demand.
While last year broke the record, they aren’t expecting such a big turnout this year.
“There’s a lot of businesses that are doing quite well. There’s also a lot of businesses that are suffering still. This year we have no goals. Our goal has always been one pound more than the previous year and because of the situation that is still upon us, we’re asking businesses and people to give, but only if they can.”
The Drive was started by Dunn and Mayor Ed Holder, all those years ago. It runs until the 22nd of December with one final event.
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