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Fill a bag for the food bank

Thanksgiving Food Drive
food bank
Dale Sankey of Sunshine Coast Food Bank welcomes extra donations during the Thanksgiving Food Drive.

The fourth annual BC Thanksgiving Food Drive is coming to the Coast next week, when volunteer drivers will gather donations left on doorsteps for local food banks.

The BC Thanksgiving Food Drive is being coordinated on the Coast by Burns and Maureen Matkin who will be delivering donation bags and information flyers to neighbourhoods between Sept. 13 and Sept. 17.

Residents are asked to place donations for their local food bank inside the bag and then leave the full bag on their doorstep the morning of Sept. 20, when volunteer drivers will come by to collect them.

The food is important at this time of year when donations typically dwindle at local food banks.

“Last year we collected over 10,000 pounds of food for the Sechelt food bank, St. Bartholomew’s food bank, the Salvation Army food bank and the Pender Harbour food bank,” Burns Matkin said.

“Our goal is to put enough good quality food on the shelves that the food banks can better assist the community.”

His team of volunteers endeavour to reach as many homes on the Coast as possible with their information flyers and donation bags, but the Coast is far too spread out to get to everyone.

“We will not be able to go to every house this year and probably not in the future due to simple logistics. For example, there are some areas with long, steep driveways which are not conducive to volunteers effectively covering these areas,” Matkin said.

“Other areas have few houses and lots of real estate between. So if you want to donate, call 1-855-742-2833 on Saturday, Sept. 20 and someone will come around to collect.”

The toll-free number is to the main coordination centre for the effort, which will be simultaneously going on in dozens of communities across B.C.

Food banks are specifically asking for donations of canned meat and fish, canned fruit and vegetables, rice, whole wheat pasta, pasta sauce, peanut butter, cereal, baby formula and baby food, but they will accept any food that comes in.

All donations will go to the food bank serving the area they are collected in. 

If you would like to help deliver flyers and bags or help with pick-up, contact Maureen at 778-835-1854 (between Sechelt and Pender Harbour) or Fabienne at 604-886-1226 (between Roberts Creek and Gibsons).

For more information about the BC Thanksgiving Food Drive, go to www.bctfooddrive.org