Rotary Club members are asking Tri-City residents to open up their hearts, wallets and pantries to help the food bank during Rotary's Generous Hearts food drive May 28 and 29.
On those days, from noon to 5 p.m. at six local grocery stores, shoppers can pick up a paper grocery bag from one of 72 Rotary Club volunteers and fill it with staples such as canned meats, pasta and cereal.
Food will go to fill the hampers at the three food banks run by Share Family and Community Services - and the timing couldn't be better, says Share's fund development manager, Heather Scott, because Christmas food supplies are running out and May 30 is National Hunger Awareness Day.
"It's wonderful to have the support of all four Rotary Clubs and to have their hearts and minds behind the issue of hunger in the community," Scott said. "They reach out to so many shoppers, which helps to keep the issue of hunger in front of Tri-Cities residents."
Scott said the supplies are sorely needed because the food bank continues to feed about 950 households every two weeks at its Port Moody, Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam depots.
She's hoping for good things as residents get behind the latest food drive. Last October, the four Tri-City Rotary Clubs of the Tri-Cities - Port Moody, Coquitlam Sunrise, Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam Centennial - collected almost 11,000 kg of food.
And the Generous Hearts campaign has already got off to a good start because the Canadian Western Bank contributed $7,500, through the efforts of Ron Baker, who is the bank's assistant vice-president and bank manager as well as a Rotary club member.
People can pick up the bags at: Thrifty Foods in Port Moody and Coquitlam; Save-On-Foods in Coquitlam and PoCo; and Safeway in Coquitlam and PoCo.
dstrandberg@tricitynews.com
