Last year 14,000 pounds of food was collected from 8,000 households in Prince George during the B.C. Thanksgiving Food Drive.
This year we can do even better. Thursday morning, at 10:30 a.m. Mayor Lyn Hall will be at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 4180 Fifth Avenue to officially proclaim Saturday, September 9, as B.C. Thanksgiving Food for the Food Bank Day.
The BC Thanksgiving Food Drive http://bctfooddrive.org/ began as a local effort in Burnaby in 2009 by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to serve less fortunate neighbours. Now in its eighth year, the project has expanded to include dozens of partner organizations and food banks serving some 50 cities throughout British Columbia, including Prince George.
In 2016, over 475,000 pounds of food was collected by more than 5000 volunteers across the province (valued at approx. $1,100,000) and was sorted and delivered to community food banks. The goal this year is to collect more than 600,000 pounds of food. This year’s food drive takes place on Saturday, Sept 9 and organizers anticipate more volunteer participants from dozens of partnering businesses, churches and volunteer organizations who will visit some 250,000 addresses across the province that week.
“We have been very successful with this program in Prince George and have increased the amount of food donated each year,” said Emily Albertson, public relations chair. “All food collected in Prince George stays in Prince George and is donated to our local food bank. Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care. In this busy age in which we live, often it is our time that is the hardest offering to give. I invite you to get involved in this day of service and help those less fortunate.”
Volunteer canvassers will be around to neighborhoods by Wednesday Sept. 6 to leave information brochures and collection bags. Please set your food donation bags out on your porch for pick up on Sept. 9 between 9 a.m. and noon.
