Postal workers seeking RFDA food donations this weekend

THUNDER BAY -- Postal workers are going to do their part on Saturday to stamp out hunger.

More than 75 Canada Post current and former employees, along with family members and friends, will descend on Thunder Bay this weekend in their sixth annual food drive, their goal to collect more than the$60,000 worth of food they gathered last year to help feed the city’s hungry.

“In the last two years we’ve set records with the Regional Food Distribution Association for food collected in a single-day drive. So we’re really hoping that we’re on a roll and this year is going to prove it,” said Canada Post delivery agent Wendy Lennox on Thursday.

Residents are asked to place any food donations at the curb in a plastic bag, preferably with the bright yellow flyer announcing the campaign that arrived earlier this week in local mailboxes.

Lennox said the need for food in Thunder Bay and in surrounding communities continues to grow, so this is the postal workers’ chance to do their part to give back.

“A lot of us are out on the streets day after day. We see a lot of people and you get familiar with the situations that people have in their lives and we really want to do something for the people of Thunder Bay.”

The response has already begun, she added, noting apartment residents have already started leaving food donations in building lobbies.
“The boxes are filling up quick, so if anyone wants more boxes, we’ll bring them out to you,” Lennox said.

Brendan Carlin, community services manager with the RFDA, said there’s a need for food at all times of the year, but particularly in summer.

“Traditionally that means people go away, they go to their camps, they go on vacation. And as opposed to Christmastime, people forget about donating to their favourite charities. We do get fairly low in the summer. Events like this one – especially this one – are great for filling us back up a little bit to get us through that,” Carlin said.

Donations should be at the curb no later than 10 a.m., with collection continuing until 4 p.m. If it happens to be missed, it can be put out again on Monday, when a second collection will take place. There are also drop-off spots at local grocery stores, the Thunder Bay Armoury and the Canada Post processing plant on Alloy Drive.

Food and cash donations will also be accepted at the RFDA warehouse at 570 Syndicate Ave. S.