By Shelley Winger
More than 8,600 pounds of food collected during a community food drive September 19 will make
a significant difference for the Morinville Food Bank and the families it serves.
The annual drive, organized by volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
brought together church and food bank volunteers to collect donations from Morinville and
surrounding communities.
Church volunteers gathered bags of food throughout the area and delivered them to the food bank,
where 12 to 14 food bank volunteers were ready to unload and weigh the donations before
beginning the sorting process.
Food arrived throughout the day by trucks, cars and vans. By the end of the collection, the food
bank was filled with bags waiting to be sorted, along with numerous milk crates of overflow that
could not fit on the shelves.
Volunteers continued working over the following several days to organize the remaining donations
and place them on shelves or in crates, where they could be used to replenish supplies as food is
distributed to clients.
The sizeable donation comes at an important time for the organization, which has been purchasing
food over the past six months to help provide balanced hampers.
“The donation of 8600+ pounds of food makes a phenomenal difference when we fill hampers for
our clients,” said Elaine Tufts of the Morinville Food Bank. “It means more choice, maybe a source
of fresh garden produce and suitable snacks for our school aged clients.”
Tufts said the donation is expected to allow the food bank to avoid purchasing additional food for
several months.
“With this gift of food we will probably not have to make any purchases for the next 4-6 months,”
she said.
The church has been organizing the food drive for a number of years, with volunteers returning each
year to help collect and deliver donations.
“We are so thankful that this group of concerned residents plan and carry out this event each year,”
Tufts said.
The food bank also receives support throughout the year from local schools, clubs, businesses,
hockey teams and other community groups that organize smaller food drives.
“We are very thankful for their support as well,” Tufts said.
Morinville community rallies behind food bank with more than 8,600pounds of donations
