Red Deer Food Bank clients will benefit from some sizable cash donations made to the local food bank in January.
A total of $57,000 came from the 50/50 draw as part of the Red Deer Kinsmen Dream Home Lottery held on Dec. 31. Red Deer Acura also donated $11,000.
Alice Kolisnyk, food bank deputy director, said the money from Acura will go specifically towards the purchase of perishable food for clients’ food hampers.
To put it into perspective, $11,000 would be enough to put milk in food hampers for the children and teens the food bank assisted in 2016, with a little money left over.
“There was 7,760 kids that we helped feed last year. We put a litre in for each kid,” Kolisnyk said on Thursday.
The Kinsmen donation will also be used to purchase perishables like meat or milk, and help pay the food bank’s utility bills to keep its doors open and people fed, she said.
The food bank expects demand for its services will increase in February and March as people struggle to pay off their own utility bills this winter.
Kolisnyk said some will be forced to choose between what gets paid and what doesn’t.
On Saturday, the food bank will be collecting non-perishable food and monetary donations at the Chloe Albert Band concert put on by Central Music Festival Society at Elks Hall, 6315 Horne St. For concert information visit centralmusicfest.com.
The food bank will also be collecting donations at Exquisite Cards & Collectables Show at Westerner Park on Feb. 25. For every donation, people will be entered to win a door prize. For more information visit www.hamsports.ca/pages/exquisite-cards-collectibles-show.