More than 440 pounds of food were donated from the Canora Gateway Co-op food store and the Buchanan store to the Filling the Gap food bank in Canora through the Farm Credit Canada (FCC) Drive Away Hunger campaign which ran during the month of November.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In total, from all the Gateway Co-op facilities, 620 pounds of food were collected through the campaign, said Dana Antonovitch, Gateway鈥檚 general manager.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 People have been very generous during the campaign, he said. However, one employee that deserves special recognition is Candy Loshka at the Buchanan store. Dedicated to the cause, she enticed close to half the total donations.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The Gateway Co-op collects food products for the food banks on a year-round basis, but the campaign with FCC receives special attention during the month of November, Antonovitch said.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In 2015, the FCC Drive Away Hunger campaign collected enough food from across the country to produce 5.2 million meals, according to an FCC release. Since 2004, FCC and its partners, and community volunteers have collected more than 27 million meals.
Foods that were requested included: pasta; rice and sauces; canned meats; fish; packaged nuts; peanut butter; beans; soups; stews; fresh, canned, and powdered milk; canned fruit; vegetables; flour; whole grain cereals; infant formula, and baby food.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 When it comes to the basic needs in life, food is at the top of the list, according to a statement from FCC. 鈥淢ost of us are fortunate to have enough to eat. Not everyone is so lucky. That鈥檚 why FCC is so passionate about the FCC Drive Away Hunger. After all, we鈥檙e in the business of agriculture, which is the business of producing food. We know this is something close to the hearts of our customers and employees. It鈥檚 a way we can all come together to help Canadian food banks help those who go hungry 鈥� including kids, who sadly make up 36 per cent of people who rely on food banks in our country.
鈥淓ach year our customers, community and ag industry partners come on board to support the drive in a big way. We鈥檙e pretty proud of that. Beginning May 4 until October 23, we鈥檒l be in communities all across Canada enlisting the help of employees in over 100 FCC offices. And best of all, 100 per cent of donations directly benefit Canadian food banks,鈥� said the FCC website.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Community, collaboration, working in partnership and making sure fewer people go hungry in Canada. That鈥檚 what FCC Drive Away Hunger is about. Farm Credit Canada FCC is Canada鈥檚 leading agriculture lender, with a healthy portfolio of more than $27 billion and 21 consecutive years of portfolio growth. FCC is strong and stable 鈥� committed to serving the industry through all cycles, and to being socially and environmentally responsible. FCC provides financing, insurance, software, learning programs and other business services to producers, agribusinesses and agri-food operations. Employees understand agriculture and are committed to the success of customers and the industry. With FCC in the market, producers benefit, agriculture benefits, rural Canada benefits and so do all Canadians.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 FCC Drive Away Hunger posted its biggest year on the program鈥檚 10th anniversary in 2014 with more than six million meals donated.
鈥淕oing over five million is just unbelievable,鈥� said Carla Warnyca, manager of community investment for FCC Warnyca. 鈥淥ur partners and schools wow us every year with their generosity.鈥� Since 2004, FCC employees, customers and community partners have provided over 27 million meals to food banks in Canada.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 FCC is Canada鈥檚 leading agriculture lender, with a loan portfolio of more than $27 billion. FCC provides financing, management software, information and knowledge for the agriculture and agri-food industry.
