One of the basic needs of everyone is food, and low income families will often have difficulty finding their next meal. Farm Credit Canada's Drive Away Hunger program is dedicated to helping feed those people. Three tractors toured the city, picking up food and donations to help drive away hunger in the city.
The grand total collected during the tour was 21,275 lbs of food. That number brings the grand total collected in the surrounding area since September 20 to 70,262 lbs. All food raised will be donated to local charities, and in Yorkton that means the Soup Haven and the Salvation Army Food Bank.
"We're very pleased with it, and we're a bit overwhelmed with the result. It's been really great to see the community come out. That's what it's all about, it's not so much about FCC but it's about the community sharing and helping fight hunger," says Derwin Armstead, vice president, Prairie Operations for FCC.
Kathy Connors, Director of the Soup Haven, says that the donation is beyond what she could ever have asked for, and it will be an important part of keeping the Soup Haven going and feeding the low income families who need it. Connors says that the donation comes at a time when low income families are being hit hard.
"Yorkton has had a bit of a boom, but it has also come with a high price for low income people. Rents have soared, utilities have gone up, people who have low income are forced to live in homes that don't have good insulation so their utilities go up in the winter time. So, this comes at a wonderful time... We're feeding 300 kids at school every day, so that's telling me there are a lot of families with bare fridges," Connors says.
While this donation is going to be a huge help to the Soup Haven, Connors says it is also a reminder of how people need to look out for each other every day, and not just when a big donation drive is running through town.
"I believe it's all of our responsibility to look after one another and to make it our business how things are really going with our neighbours. If there's something we can do, then we should be doing it. If we all did that, then everything would get looked after," Connors says.
