‘It gives special meaning to Thanksgiving’: Holiday food drive on record pace after recent donations
With one day to go in the London Food Bank’s (LFB) Thanksgiving Food Drive, officials are not only thrilled, but surprised by the community response.
Serving 6,000 families per month and helping 30 agencies, the generosity of Londoners is essential because the demand for food is so high.
“I don't think we expected this year to be so good because last year was a banner year, but here it is holding par with that,” said Glen Pearson, co-executive director of the LFB.
“It gives it kind of special meaning to Thanksgiving. I think people just feel that they want to be part of community.”
Volunteers sort donations at the London Food Bank for the 36th annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. (Nick Paparella/CTV London)
Those people include the Heussner and Henson family in East London, Ont.
They were loading up a vehicle to drop off donations after collecting at their Halloween display on Admiral Drive.
“We are here every weekend for the month of October,” said Jeff Heussner.
“This year, we are collecting food bank donations and we're just trying to help the community out. We're just trying to help those people in need.”
The Admiral Inn has animatronics and even live actors on Friday and Saturday nights, weather permitting.
(L-R) Tyler Hart, Ryan Henson, Andrew Henson, Carlie Henson and Jeff Heussner hold donations for the London Food Bank which were collected at their Halloween Display at 270 Admiral Drive in London, Ont. (Brent Lale/CTV London)
This weekend, they collected dozens of bags and boxes worth of donations.
As the food drive enters the home stretch, recent donations have put them above record pace.
“The Ivy Business School had a food drive for us and they came in yesterday with boxes and boxes,” said Pearson.
“We’ve never quite seen anything like it. We're up around 81,000 pounds now, so we're even with last year, but the food still coming in.”
Pearson said with the drive wrapping up Monday, the easiest way to help is to go to their website to donate.
Andrew Henson (right) and Jeff Heussner load up a vehicle with donations to the London Food Bank on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (Brent Lale/CTV London)
“We've seen a big uptake this year of people donating online,” said Pearson.
“They go to London Food Bank and they donate online because that gives us choices to get food for other agencies.”
Pearson will reveal the statistics of the food drive later this week and plans to give his staff Monday off for Thanksgiving.
“Come Tuesday, we'll be right back at it again, sorting all that food,” said Pearson.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
2 plead guilty in B.C. murder of former Air India suspect Malik
Two men charged in the killing of former Air India bombing suspect Ripudaman Singh Malik have pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a British Columbia court.
Death toll from B.C. atmospheric river climbs as driver found dead, another presumed drowned
Mounties on Vancouver Island say one person is dead and another is presumed to have drowned after two vehicles were found submerged in a river following heavy rains that washed out roadways across British Columbia.
Frozen waffles recalled across Canada, U.S. over Listeria concerns
A U.S.-based food manufacturer that supplies frozen waffles to major grocery chains across North America has launched a voluntary recall over concerns its products carry the potential for illness.
'You are not my king,' Indigenous Australian senator yells at visiting King Charles
An Indigenous senator told King Charles III that Australia is not his land as the royal visited Australia's parliament on Monday.
How an off-duty lifeguard found a missing 17-year-old in the ocean
It was a typical Wednesday evening for Noland Keaulana, who was fixing his truck at his grandparents’ house when he received an alert on his phone about a 17-year-old missing off the Honolulu coast.
Cubans struggle with an extended power outage and a new tropical storm
Cuba's widespread blackouts stretched into their fourth day as Hurricane Oscar crossed the island's eastern coast with winds and heavy rain.
High grocery and rental costs plaguing Canadians, new survey finds
High grocery and rental costs are squeezing lower-income Canadians even as inflation trends downward, a new survey suggests.
LIVE @ 8 P.M. ADT New Brunswickers head to the polls to vote in provincial election
New Brunswickers will cast their votes today in what is predicted to be a tight provincial election.
Major Toronto hospital network reinstates masking requirement
The University Health Network (UHN) is making masks mandatory as respiratory illness season ramps up.