Larry Brigham wishes his work wasn’t necessary.
He’s spent the past 30 years in Thunder Bay helping establish food banks from Confederation College to the Regional Food Distribution Association, the last of which earned him the Red Cross Power of Humanity Award Monday night.
As past president and chairman, Brigham pulled together hundreds of volunteers, organizations and businesses in order to make the regional distribution centre a success.
“I’m totally excited about the fact that this is being recognized” Brigham said.
The centre distributed more than $1.7 million worth of food last year, something that is both good and bad news.
“I would like to see that this place didn’t have to exist and that all people were fed and looked after,” Brigham said.
Brigham had to step away from his retirement, as he refers to his work with the association, after being diagnosed with cancer. But with the disease in complete remission, he sees an opportunity to advocate for isolated First Nations communities that have poor access to clean water and face sky-high food prices.
“We’ve still got a lot of work today,” he said.
That work can be done by everyone in the region getting together to make it better.
“There’s compassion, there’s truth, there’s hope. I think hope’s a big one we need to have a lot more hope,” Brigham said.
The award will be given out by Canadian Red Cross Secretary General and CEO Conrad Sauve. Part of the Red Cross’ mandate is to network and find solidarity, something that Brigham’s work exemplified.
“I can just see visiting here the work that Larry’s done in terms of bringing a lot of people together,” Sauve said on a tour of the RFDA.
