The 18th annual CP Holiday Train makes stops in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows on Friday, Dec. 16.
The Holiday Train will stop in Maple Ridge at Port Haney Station at 7:30 p.m.
And for the third straight year, it is scheduled to stop in Pitt Meadows, 8:45 p.m. the same day at the Harris Road West Coast Express station.
Performers are Dallas Smith and Odds.
Smith is a platinum-selling country performer from Vancouver with a handful of Juno and CCMA awards and nominations.
“Being able to help local food banks across the country is something I’m excited to be a part of. I’ve toured Canada many times ,but not like this,” Smith said.
Odds started in 1987 in Vancouver and their albums have achieved platinum status in Canada, with six Juno nominations, several Top 10 hits and a few Top 40 songs in the U.S. and around the world.
“The Holiday Train is a marvel. Over the last five years, it has given us Odds a chance to become part of the truly beneficial part of the holidays – to bond with our community and use that connection to help bring everyone up to the same level of happiness and prosperity,” said the band.
Two Holiday Trains operate, in the U.S. and Canada, with approximately 150 shows held in November and December.
The final show of the Canadian tour will take place Dec. 17 in Port Coquitlam, B.C.
“We are very excited about this year’s CP Holiday Train and are encouraging all event attendees to bring healthy, nutritious food items to the shows,” said Pam Jolliffe, interim executive director, Food Banks Canada.
“For the last two decades, CP has played an integral role in raising essential food for the holidays and in raising awareness of hunger-related issues.”
In 2015, the CP Holiday Train donated $7,000 each to Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows for the food bank.
“That is why it is so important for us to have these two stops,” said Mary Robson, executive director of the Friends in Need Food Bank.
‘We are very, very fortunate.”
Friends in Need served 721 hampers in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows last month, an increase over last year.
Since 1999, the Holiday Train has raised close to $10.6 million and 3.3 million pounds of food for North American food banks.
The Holiday Train program encourages people attending events to bring heart-healthy donations. Heart health education and awareness is a tenet of CP’s community investment program, CP Has Heart, which focuses on improving the heart health of men, women and children in communities across North America.
The concerts are always free, but you’re encouraged to make a donation to the local food bank, either a non-perishable food item or a cash donation.