THUNDER BAY — The United Way of Thunder Bay were excited to host its sixth annual CommUNITY barbecue at the Roots Community Food Centre on Thursday.
In partnership with Roots, Dew Drop Inn and the Regional Food Distribution Association (RFDA), the charity aimed to raise funds to support feeding programs coordinated through the various organizations in the city.
“It’s the one time each year where the three organizations get to have a little bit of fun coming together,” said Albert Brulé, the United Way of Thunder Bay’s CEO.
“It’s a lot of work to put all of this on, but it’s so rewarding to see so many workplaces and businesses and individuals and families coming out to lend their support. It’s really awesome.”
Seeing the community come out and show support year after year is fantastic, said Brulé.
He said it’s a really important cause that people were supporting.
The RFDA alone, Brulé explained, supports virtually all the food banks in the community and other communities, as well as First Nations across Northwestern Ontario.
This year, the fundraiser also chose to support Isthmus, another important beneficiary, which serves roughly 500 kids weekly.
“We have a program called pay-it-forward, so when people are either buying their food or buying a raffle ticket and they want to make a $10 donation, that will go to Isthmus and they provide backpacks during the school year to school kids to take home with food (and) nutritious snacks for the weekend,” said Brulé.
A Vermont Castings barbecue with accessories and a $1,000 meat package was raffled off at the event.
Visitors also had the opportunity to buy rhubarb lemonade from a lemonade station, stone oven-cooked hand pies filled with rhubarb and apples, beers supplied by Sleeping Giant Brewing Company — including the Better is Possible Smash Lager, with proceeds in support of the United Way of Thunder Bay — and participate in a dunk tank challenge.
“We have five community champions who have agreed to put themselves, life and limb at risk up on the dunk tank chair to raise funds,” said Brulé.
As of Thursday morning, these champions already raised more than $13,000 through donations, each having agreed that they would only allow themselves to get dunked if they raised $2,000 or more.
Brulé said the fundraiser has grown every year.
“We’re actually at this new site that has (a) beautiful garden, lots of room (and) we’ve got tents set up. There’s a gazebo (and) picnic tables. I think this is going to be by far our best year yet,” said Brulé, referencing how the RFDA hosted the barbecue in previous years.
“Everybody’s pulled in lots of different directions, so I think us partnering together makes this something that is way more possible,” said Erin Beagle, Roots Community Food Centre’s executive director.
The real opportunity of the fundraiser, Beagle added, is that the entire community can see what some of the agencies are that are really trying to tackle food insecurity in Thunder Bay and the region.
“People can come and meet people from all the organizations and see what’s going on and really just celebrate great local food and just all the work that’s going on," said Beagle.
She said they hope that the barbecue raises a lot of money that they can use towards improving food security in Thunder Bay.
Brulé said people can still donate, even if they missed the barbecue, on their website.
