A modern twist on the traditional food drive is set to help the Wood Buffalo Food Bank replenish its stores.
The province-wide “Real Food Drive” launched on May 6 will allow people to purchase food donations online.
Okotoks Food Bank executive director Sheila Hughes said the program was originally intended to benefit each food bank in the province individually, to provide enough food for the summer months.
Alberta Food Banks decided the current food drive should launch immediately, with all food going to Wood Buffalo to support those directly affected by the fire and the communities that have taken in 80,000 evacuees.
“Wood Buffalo had already been stretched before the fire, and the demand will be quite significant now,” said Hughes.
The food drive began on May 6 and will run for 28 days. The goal is to raise 25,000 pounds of food.
Hughes said similar food drives have been held in the United States, but it is a one-of-a-kind program in Canada.
Food banks choose their top 12 items, and buyers can choose which foods they would like to purchase. The items are housed in a virtual warehouse, and the food bank can choose to receive what it needs as necessary. For Wood Buffalo, the items include apples, oranges, pears, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, peanut butter, salmon, tuna, canned fruits and veggies, and chicken noodle soup.
“It’s referred to as ‘crowd-feeding,’ instead of ‘crowd-funding,’” said Hughes. “With the online food drive, the food bank receives food as it’s needed so there’s no worry about overstocking.”
Once the 28-day food drive for Wood Buffalo closes, Hughes said she hopes the original plan to operate online drives for individual food banks starts up to get food on the shelves before summer.
“Typically in the summertime our usage goes up and our stores go down,” said she said. “We’re also not sure yet whether we’ll be affected, whether there are people in the area who have been affected by the fires and might need some help.”
She said the Okotoks Food Bank also plans to contribute to the food drive for Wood Buffalo, either by purchasing food through the online drive or by making a monetary contribution.
“So many of us down here have ties to Fort McMurray,” said Hughes. “It’s important that we help however we can.”
To purchase food for Wood Buffalo online, visit www.feedalberta.com.
