It started 15 years ago when Edgar Burton?s daughters came home from school and asked if they could collect food for the needy.
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Members of Sudbury?s militia unit, the 2nd Battalion Irish Regiment of Canada, volunteered their time and helped pick up huge boxes filled to the top with everything from soup to macaroni and cheese. |
He was so moved that the veteran Inco worker started a food drive where he asked his fellow employees at the nickel giant to bring in some food items to help others in need.
Burton went to his bosses and got permission to set up a few collection boxes at work.
The holiday effort became an annual campaign and grew by leaps and bounds since its humble beginning in 1987.
Before the end of the 1990s other area businesses and employees joined in and the charitable effort was eventually renamed the City of Greater Sudbury Business and Employee Food Drive.
This particular year was a record breaking one for Burton?s cause.
Some 26 tons of food was collected for the Sudbury Food Bank, up from 20 tons in 2001.
The items are being stored at the McKee-Wong Food Bank on Notre Dame but will be shared with all food banks in the city.
Members of Sudbury?s militia unit, the 2nd Battalion Irish Regiment of Canada, volunteered their time and helped pick up huge boxes filled to the top with everything from soup to macaroni and cheese.
It?s believed the donations will be sufficient to last until the spring when another food drive will be held to carry local food banks through the summer.
Cash donations were also collected over the pre-holiday period and will be used to purchase perishable products like milk and fresh vegetables.
A final tally wasn?t available, but it?s safe to say Sudburians were extremely generous.
It?s never too late to donate. More information is available by e-mailing [email protected] or by logging on to the internet at www.helpingfood.on.ca.
What started out as the annual Inco Food Drive has now grown into one of the largest, if not the largest food drive in Canada.
