Staff and students show their generosity at all Reeves campuses
Calgary, AB – December 21, 2017 - According to Food Banks Canada, over half of Canadians know someone who has visited a food bank. As food bank usage continues to rise across Canada, food banks become more and more dependent on the generosity of others to support local communities.
In the spirit of holiday giving, Reeves College campuses have been pitching in to collect non-perishable goods and household items for our annual Holiday Food Drive initiative. Staff and students succeeded in raising a total of 1,286 items that were donated to local food banks in Alberta. In addition, for every food item raised, Reeves College made a monetary donation to Food Banks Canada too!
In the HungerCount 2016 report produced by Food Banks Canada, food banks assisted 79,293 in Alberta. Of those numbers, 16.1 per cent of food bank users in Canada were seniors, aged 65 and older. In addition, numbers confirmed that food bank usage rose to 18 percent in Alberta last year. It's a sobering thought to see how many more people have had to depend on their local food banks year over year.
“Food drives are a tangible way to see the impact donors can make. They provide a number of important opportunities: they help to raise awareness of the critical issue of hunger in communities; they build relationships with local community organizations and businesses and are an important source of valuable food,” says Food Banks Canada.
The Reeves College Edmonton campus made an astonishing contribution to this year’s effort with a total of 871 items collected by students.
“Our students were incredible during this drive for the food bank. As you know, funds are tight for all students everywhere. I’m sure some could have used this food themselves, and yet the whole school really rallied around the cause,” said Matthew Henderson, Assistant Campus Director. “We had 350 items brought in from one small class of Health Care Aide students alone. The generosity and community spirit displayed by Reeves students amazes even me. I know this food will go to a lot of people who need it. We were happy to help.”
Find out how you can get involved with community initiatives at Reeves College by following along on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You can also learn more about Reeves College at reevescollege.ca.