Bayshore Broadcasting’s Owen Sound radio stations are teaming up with the Salvation Army for a food drive early next month at local grocery stores.
It’s the 2nd Annual 560 CFOS Community Food Drive.
Salvation Army Community Family Service Director Alice Wannan says the need in the community is up 20 per cent this year. “It is definitely like nothing we’ve ever seen before,” says Wannan who adds the demographic of people coming to the food bank is changing,” says Wannan.
“We’re seeing families that are working part-time now that aren’t making it. We’re seeing our senior population who are struggling to pay the rent and still have something to eat at the end of each month,” says Wannan explaining that these are people who gave to the Salvation Army Food Bank before, she adds, “People who have been in a position to give either food or money are now finding themselves in that horrible place of needing help.”
Wannan says in September, they helped 1,233 individuals in the community. “Those are separate people, that is a once a month kind of assistance. That’s a staggering number in a community of 20,000 people, that 1,233 people needed to use our services just to make sure themselves and their family had food on their table,” says Wannan.
Bayshore Broadcasting radio stations Mix 106.5, Country 93.7 and 560 CFOS will be broadcasting live alongside Salvation Army volunteers at different locations from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The will be at No Frills, Foodland, Metro and Food Basics and Zehrs.
You can donate non-perishable food or money.
Wannan says some items to donate include pasta and pasta sauce, cereal and kids school snacks.
There’s also a corporate challenge this year which encourages local businesses to gather non-perishable food between now and December 6th and then bring it all to Zehrs on Friday, December 6th. The Salvation Army will have their big scale at Zehrs and the business with the most food will win lunch for up to 15 people at Bishop’s Landing Restaurant and Lounge and a $1,000 gift certificate for advertising on CFOS.
