A fundraising event at FreshCo brought in thousands of dollars for two local charities.
The event called Food for Kids raised $1,407 for the Friends In Need Food Bank plus an additional 900 pounds of food were donated.
A hot dog sale was also held with 100 per cent of the proceeds going towards the Rotary Club of Meadow Ridge’s Starfish Backpack program that raised another $1135.70.
“The experience with this fundraiser was phenomenal,” said Kevin Marshall, FreshCo Maple Ridge store owner.
“I got to meet a bunch of new people who are involved with the community and it gave me a chance to give back,” he remarked.
Marshall explained how difficult it was for his team because when the store opened the COVID-19 pandemic lock downs soon followed.
“We weren’t able to branch out into the community and start doing things we wanted to do for community involvement, fundraising for different organizations,” he said.
Marshall noted that they have been working with the Friends In Need Food Bank since day one and in the lead up to Christmas they will be concentrating on selling $10 food hampers for donation to the food bank, as well as assisting the Starfish Backpack Program with their weekly shopping needs, he said.
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Mary Robson, executive director of the Friends In Need Food Bank, is elated that food drives are back after more than a year of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
She is encouraging schools, churches, businesses and organizations to move forward with their annual food donation collections to fill “empty tummies” this Christmas.
For more information call 604-466-3663, extension 202 or go to friendsneedfood.com.
For more information about the Meadow Ridge Rotary Club go to meadowridgerotary.ca.
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