FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, September 25, 2006

“SHARE YOUR THANKSGIVING” NOW UNDERWAY

Beginning this week, 130,000 brown grocery bags will arrive in Winnipeg homes courtesy of the Winnipeg Free Press, asking people to share their good fortune with those in need in our community. 

It is the 21^st annual Share Your Thanksgiving food drive, a critically important campaign that allows Winnipeg Harvest to restock its shelves.  

“This is about neighbours helping neighbours, and demonstrating our collective care for those who are most vulnerable in our community,” said David Northcott, Executive Coordinator, Winnipeg Harvest.  “It’s also a time to pause, and ask WHY so many people are falling through the gaps in our social safety nets.  People using food banks in Manitoba increased 18.3% in just 5 years.  We need to take ownership of that as a community and work towards the elimination of hunger in a serious, sustained and compassionate way.  We want a Thanksgiving that has fewer people needing food banks.” 

Winnipeg Harvest currently provides emergency food assistance to 39,265 people each month, and almost half of those needing help – more than 18,148 are children.  

“We are thankful for Manitoba growers, large and small. We’ve experienced a very strong Grow-A-Row season with 152,200 pounds of fresh produce donated in July, August and September so far, compared to just 40,000 pounds for the entire growing season last year,” said Northcott. “That’s been a tremendous boon to our food bank clients to receive fresh Manitoba corn and zucchini and tomatoes.  Now we are looking to restock our shelves with staples to get us through the winter months – our high-protein non-perishable items like canned tuna, pasta, cereals and soups.”

From now until Thanksgiving weekend, people are asked to simply fill the grocery bag as they shop and leave it at their participating grocery store: Sobeys, FoodFare, Safeway, Superstore, IGA and Co-Op The Marketplace.  Regular plastic grocery bags are also accepted.

The 10 Most Wanted Food items listed on the grocery bags are: canned poultry and fish, baby food and formula, rice, dry pasta, cereal, canned soup (vegetable, tomato, lentil, pea), canned fruit and vegetables (in own juice), canned stew, peanut butter (light) and canned spaghetti sauce.

                                     Quick Facts  

¨     Winnipeg Harvest distributes food to more than 300 community food banks, soup kitchens and meal programs in Winnipeg and 16 in rural Manitoba.

¨      In 2005, Winnipeg Harvest moved almost 8 million pounds of food. That amount of food would fill the Winnipeg Stadium waist deep six times over.

¨     In 2005, Harvest distributed emergency food each month to 39,265 people.  That is almost the population of Brandon, Manitoba’s second largest city. 

¨     50% of Harvest volunteers are people who use a food bank.

¨     47% of people receiving food from Harvest are children.

¨     In 2005, more than 200,000 volunteer hours were donated to Harvest.  Volunteer time equates to 114 full time staff working year round.

¨     Winnipeg Harvest does not receive any operating funds from governments or the United Way.  We rely on the generosity of the community to help people who are hungry.  

       MEDIA CONTACT:

    Diane Poulin

      Communications Coordinator, Winnipeg Harvest

      982-3584