The Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre is a couple weeks into its “Light it Up” campaign for the holiday season. Executive Director Laurie O’Connor says they wanted to do something a little different this year with the Light it Up Campaign which encourages you to let your coworkers, friends, family, community association, or other businesses, sports teams, or connections know about the fundraiser and how they can join in. You can also issue a friendly challenge to your contacts to encourage them to pick up a kit and see who can raise the most donations.
She says they want people to use this as an opportunity to celebrate being together over the holidays as well as fundraise at time when they are not seeing a decrease in need in the community. O’Connor says they started seeing their numbers increase back in January and have returned to serving over 20,000 people a month. She says businesses taking part get a kit and can hang their poster in a shared space that will be easy for people to get to. When someone makes a cash donation, they receive a lightbulb sticker to place on the tree to Light It Up.
O’Connor hopes this campaign will remind the community to “Light it Up” and have a little fun this season, sharing some positivity and encourage the community to help others as well. The most wanted food items include baby food and formula, canned fruits and vegetables, hearty soups and stews, whole grain pasta and cereals, canned protein, and peanut butter.
On Friday, a number of representatives from Rotary Clubs in Saskatoon converged at the Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre to hand over a cheque for $15,000. A news release from the Rotary Clubs says the past couple of years have been difficult financially for many and with the current impact of rising inflation, usage rates at the Food Bank has increased to over 20,000 people a month and over 1 in 4 children suffer from poverty in this community.
The five clubs are: Rotary Club of Saskatoon, Rotary Club of Saskatoon Meewasin, Rotary Club of Saskatoon Nutana, Rotary Club of Saskatoon North and Rotary Club of Riverside.
